


A Family Recipe

by Ayearandaday



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: A teaspoon of angst, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And you'll be grateful, Awesome Phasma, BB-9E is cute, Background Relationships, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben does the right thing, Ben had it coming, Ben has a plan, Ben has no idea how Rey does that, Ben is a teddy bear, Ben is an exceptional dummy, Ben is confused, Ben is confusing, Ben is overthinking everything, Ben is stress-cooking, Ben loves Rey more, Ben loves cuddling Rey, Ben loves his new job, Ben spoils his girl, Ben writes letters, Ben's colleagues are no idiots, Birthday Fluff, Can Rey eat a whole birthday cake?, Christmas Solo-style, Cliffhangers, Complete, Cooking, Deus Ex Machina, Devoted Reylo, Don't read if you are hungry, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Issues, Find out, Finn and Rose are responsible adults, Fluff, Friendship is Magic, Fucking with corporate sharks by throwing parties?, Grumpy Cat Ben, HEA, HEA for everyone, HEA starts now, Han and Leia ship them, Have you seen Ben's puppy dog eyes?, Holidays, I'll give you cavities, I'm no Disney, It's a happy story, Leia ships it, Light Angst, Mama Leia fixes things, Married Couple, Married Life, Maz is in trouble, Meet-Cute, Mutual Pining, One True Pairing, Organa-Solo-Skywalker stellar parenting, Padme's cookbook cameo, Panic Attacks, Phasma and Mitaka are the most level-headed people ever, Poe being a good friend, Poe is a handful, Poe thinks everyone is hot, Pregnancy, Protective Armitage Hux, Protective Ben Solo, Rey can take whatever she wants, Rey doesn't mind, Rey gets a surprise, Rey helps him, Rey is a minx, Rey is an angel, Rey is everyone's sweetheart, Rey is food lover, Rey is saint, Rey knows how to celebrate, Rey loves cuddles, Rey needs a teacher, Rey simply can't refuse her boyfriend, Rey stress-bakes, Rey's friends are awesome, Rey's friends are poli, Safe to say that Padme ships it too, Slow Burn, Snoke Being a Dick, Snoke had it coming, Snoke is evil, Snoke should have known better, Solo men are creative, Sorry Not Sorry, Space kids are no longer alone, Supreme Leader of overthinking, Thanksgiving Dinner, The angst strikes again, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, What should Ben do?, also known as Leia Organa, and they lived happily ever after, ben needs a teacher, but it's hard, but not that saint, but still pining, but they make up, check the end notes, check!, communication is important, do all FO employees have daddy issues?, do lawyers have ethics?, epilogue!, epilogue?, everyone is Reylo, everyone loves Padme's recipes, everyone wants to flip Snoke off, for the whole five seconds, happy birthday Rey, have I ruined your teeth yet?, he also can't keep his mouth shut, high shelves are evil, how many cookies do you need for one party?, in calligraphy, is it a Medium Burn now?, is that a foreshadowing?, it's canon, just a little bit, meet the family Rey-style, no one loves manipulative assholes, now with recipes, oblivious Ben, or so she says, surprise, sweet boyfriends are good, the author is evil, the author is slow, the lovebirds fought, they might, trouble in the paradise, what should Rey do?, you all know that Ben is a dummy, you tell me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2020-09-26 14:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 50,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayearandaday/pseuds/Ayearandaday
Summary: Ben Solo has a Friday evening stress-relieving routine – he comes home, he cooks, he eats, no exceptions. But what happens when his cute neighbor interrupts his orderly life?Upd: now with recipes.





	1. Pasta with Meat Sauce

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I’m Day and I’m secretly a procrastinating sloth. I started toying with the idea of this story last November (yes, you read it right), I began outlining it to make a sweet Christmas one-shot, then I got distracted and wrote Missed Connections instead (another meet-cute with lots of miscommunications). The outlining grew and grew and it threatened to become a really long one-shot so I decided to divide it into five parts, and then it became even more detailed and I got distracted again. At some point I looked at it and thought it would work better as a multichapter and guess what’s happened next? Yep, exactly. So, I currently have another fic on hiatus because I messed up the timelines (next chapter of Promises is supposed to happen in October and it’s uninspiring to write it in August), A Dinner For Two is finished and it seems to be a good time to start writing lest this fic becomes a three-part story with prequel, sequel and spin-off. 
> 
> A giant thank you to fulcrum_of_pemberley who did a wonderful work of betaing this chapter. Any possible mistakes are my own.

Ben turned his key in the lock, his shoulders gradually losing the tension he’d accumulated during the day. While working at First Order Law came with definite perks, sometimes he just wanted to tear out his own hair in frustration. His (mostly disgusting) clients and colleagues drove him crazy throughout the week, leaving him pent up and desperately clinging to his sanity.

Everyone deals with stress differently. Snoke feasted on the bones of his enemies. Mitaka spent every other evening at his therapist’s. Phasma punched training dummies and occasional idiots who had enough stupidity to challenge her. Hux flooded Instagram with photos of his cat. Ben had something different. Every Friday, he slipped out early (well, First Order idea of early). He left his Kylo Ren persona behind the closed door of his office; he took off his jacket and rolled his sleeves, too impatient to change. He took out a familiar blue notebook, not that he really needed it after doing exactly this for more than a decade. He made his pick and got out everything required. Then the magic began.

Cooking was probably the only thing to give him peace of mind. Perhaps it was what some people called moving meditation. Thoughts didn’t exist in that realm - instead, Ben’s mind was filled with sensations. Smells, shapes, and colors mixed together to create something new, delicious, and exciting. At this point he could probably do it with closed eyes. He wouldn’t though. Every moment was too precious. Ben lived for those evenings, filled with calmness, mouthwatering smells, and happiness.

This evening’s choice was pasta. He expertly prepared the ingredients, marveling at the sharp fragrance of herbs, the crispness of raw tomatoes. Ben’s movements were like a well-oiled machine, sure and confident. From time to time he glanced at the recipe. Despite knowing it by heart he found reassurance in his grandmother’s delicate handwriting. The recipe book was his only connection to his past, a precious thread to the life he never actually had. A belonging of a sort. Through this book he got to know his late grandmother. With it Padme Naberrie gifted him an escape from harsh reality.

Time flew while cooking. In no time he was stirring ground beef and sausage in a mix of butter, oil, onion and garlic, the mass sizzling in the pan. He added salt and pepper and his favorite herbs. By the time Ben mixed in tomato paste and puree the whole kitchen smelled delicious. Leaving the sauce to simmer, he turned his attention to the pasta. The water was heating on the stove as he reached for the cardboard package. It was almost empty. Ben grabbed a new one but it refused to open. Cursing under his breath the man looked for the scissors which were not in their designated place. When he finally found the elusive object the doorbell rang. Ben gritted his teeth. The bell kept ringing. Whoever they were, they were persistent. With an annoyed huff he went to the door, determined to give a piece of his mind to the offender as he yanked it open. But the words stuck in his throat when he saw a young doe-eyed woman. She smiled brightly. No one had smiled at him like that for a very long time.

“Hi! I’m your neighbor from 47b and…” And then her eyes dropped to the kitchen scissors he was for some reason was still clutching in a death grip and she took an involuntary step back. His eyes widened in horror.

“Sorry, I was cooking. I’m not a serial killer, I swear,” Ben hastened to reassure her, feeling equally stupid and guilty. That was exactly how his life worked.

“Good to know,” the girl replied shakily. With surprise, he noticed that she was a pretty little thing. Her eyes were big and hazel with green specks, her golden skin was dotted with freckles. Her coveralls did nothing to hide her trim figure and for some reason she looked so cute it hurt. And the poor creature was terrified which hurt as well.

“You were saying?” Ben prompted her tentatively. The girl eyed him warily.

“I’m your neighbor from 47b and I think you might have my mail.” Oh. “You see, they often forget to identify the unit and it might have ended up in 47a instead of 47b so…” He nodded. Things like that happened all the time.

“I’ve got it. Come in.” She didn’t move. With a sigh he returned to the kitchen to get rid of the offending scissors, leaving the girl behind.

“The name is Rey Sands,” she called after him as he looked through his mail piled on the coffee table in the living room.

“Ben Solo. Give me a second.” His rummaging through the letters was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of boiling water spilling over. “Oh, shit! Here, take it.” Ben pushed the pile into her hands before rushing to his hopefully unscathed supper. For a couple of minutes he completely forgot he wasn’t alone in his apartment until his guest cleared her throat behind him. 

“Um, there was nothing in… What are you doing?” The girl, Rey, suddenly asked.

“Pasta?” It came out like a question instead of a statement. She sniffed the air like a bloodhound and while it shouldn’t look cute, for some reason it did.

“It smells delicious. Not like the usual mac-and-cheese.”

Ben cringed. “Mac-and-cheese is not pasta,” he stated with narrowed eyes.

Rey flushed adorably. “Yeah… Sorry, I’ll just…”

“Do you want some?” The words that left his mouth surprised him just as much as they did her. It was like his body completely refused to cooperate around her.

“Huh?”

“I’m almost finished,” he insisted, hoping for her to stay. Ben tried not to think too closely why.

“I don’t want to intrude,” Rey said shyly while side-eyeing the delicious-smelling pan. She gave a distinct impression of a person in a mutual loving relationship with food, making his lips curl into a smile.

“Nonsense. I usually make too much. Always forget I’m cooking for one.” While it was the truth, it didn’t mean Ben didn’t enjoy leftovers. On the other hand, he couldn’t remember the last time he cooked for someone else, so…

“Oh,” the girl said timidly. “If you’re sure.”

He absolutely was.

There was something particularly satisfying in watching someone try the food he’d made. Watching Rey was like attending a one-man theatre. With the first bite her animated face went through a whole range of emotions, her cute nose scrunching in genuine pleasure as she moaned around her fork. The sound she made was absolutely indecent, making his ears flush and his pants tighten. 

“Oh, God, marry me!” Ben almost choked. Rey’s eyes rounded in horror. “I mean… I’m sorry, I wasn’t asking, I mean, there is nothing wrong with you, we just don’t really know each other, I mean…”

He chuckled. “Rey, calm down, I got it.”

She looked at him bashfully, pink-cheeked and guilty-eyed. “It’s just _so_ tasty. All those flavors.”

“Those are called herbs and spices,” Ben teased.

“Those are called evil space wizardry,” she interjected. “People turn to the Dark Side for this.”

He raised his eyebrow. “For a plate of pasta?”

“Yes!” Rey insisted.

“You’re a student, aren’t you?” Ben guessed. The girl flushed.

“That obvious?”

“Yeah. What do you study?”

“Engineering. And you?” she eyed him curiously.

“Not a student,” he answered elusively.

“I gathered that much.” Rey was still looking at him expectantly.

“I’m a lawyer,” Ben conceded. Surprisingly, the girl didn’t look put off.

“Fancy, aren’t we?” she grinned cheekily.

“We are,” Ben nodded with a smirk. “Do you want more?” he asked, glancing at her already pristine plate. For such a tiny thing she sure had a healthy appetite. Seeing her eat like that, uncaring about her table manners, made him unreasonably happy. When was the last time anyone was this at ease around him?

“I…”

“Seriously, it’s no big deal. Give me your plate.”

The girl went bright red. “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have to feed me like this.”

He huffed in mock-indignation.

“Rey, every cook lives for such approval of his abilities. This,” he gestured to her empty plate, “is the greatest compliment.”

“It’s incredibly delicious,” she smiled shyly. Ben returned the gesture.

“Thank you. I should probably cook more often,” he added wistfully.

“You don’t?” Rey looked surprised.

“I usually work late.” 80-hour work weeks do that to you.

“That explains why you didn’t answer the door yesterday.”

Ben winced. “Yeah, Fridays are usually shorter.” Only because Snoke recognized the need of his employees to get wasted and forget what they did for a living.

“Good to know. Would it be OK for me to check your mail next week?” the girl looked at him hopefully. “I expect an important letter.”

He nodded, rejoicing internally for the chance to see her again. “Sure. Your family?”

Rey looked at her lap, averting her gaze. “Scholarship application.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ll get it,” Ben smiled encouragingly.

She smiled back, showing her dimples. “Thanks. I hope so.”

Time with Rey flew. Hours felt like mere minutes and he would happily spend more just talking to her or watching her stuff her face with food (_not creepy at all, Ben_), but their plates were already clean, the dishes washed, and kitchen returned to order. His guest smiled bashfully. 

“Thank you so much for food and for your patience.”

“Thanks for the company,” Ben replied sincerely. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself so much.

“See you next week, I guess?” she asked.

“I’ll be waiting,” he promised.


	2. Tomato and Basil Omelette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets her letter and Ben gets to cook for her. It doesn't go the way they expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first: thank you for all the kudos and comments this story got! You are the best! Extra thanks to lovely fulcrum_of_pemberley who kindly betaed this chapter. Any possible mistakes are my own.

The week dragged painstakingly slowly but it was nothing compared to Friday which seemed endless. Everything that could happen happened. Every idiotic petty demand of his clients grated on Ben’s nerves. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep himself in check. He almost lost it when Snoke demanded an additional company meeting at 6 p.m. Purely hypothetically, he could have skipped. But such behaviour was a weakness in his boss’s eyes and Kylo Ren wasn’t weak.

Ben Solo, on the other hand, pretty much was. He longed to be home, with his nose buried in his grandmother’s cookbook and his hands stirring some delicious concoction. And then there was the matter of his pretty neighbour. There was a reason he superstitiously didn’t check his mail, letting it pile up in his living room. Rey was sweet, lovely, and cute, everything he was not, and if Ben hadn’t quit the dating scene, he would have asked her out in a heartbeat. The only problem was that Rey was too good for him, too young, too innocent. She didn’t need his sorry, moody, broody ass in her life. Though, it didn’t mean he couldn’t offer her a meal or two. Ben was indeed weak, after all. And if he broke one or two speed limits on his way home, who could blame him?

Being home was a pure unadulterated relief. Shedding his jacket, tie, and Kylo Ren persona, Ben took a look at his clock. Half past eight. If he was lucky enough he could just whip up something quickly before… The doorbell rang. _Oh, well._

Rey looked even better this time, in simple jeans and tee, all shining eyes and faint blush. Ben hoped with all his might that his own blush didn’t move past his ears.

“Hi!” the girl smiled brightly. He grinned back.

“Hi yourself.” As he moved aside allowing her to enter, Rey cocked her head toward the kitchen, clearly mystified by the lack of tempting smells and sizzles.

“I'm sorry, am I too early? If now is not a good time…” she trailed off. Ben shook his head violently.

“No, I was a bit late. Don't worry about it. I didn't have time to check the mail...” He almost succeeded at not sounding guilty. Almost.

“That's fine,” Rey smiled.

“You can do it in the kitchen while I cook,” the words suddenly left his mouth. Not that he minded. The mere idea of keeping this sun-kissed girl in here… Yes, definitely delicious. “I mean, if you want to,” he added as an afterthought. The fact that he craved her time and attention didn’t automatically mean she wanted anything to do with him. To his surprise, Rey beamed.

“I'd like that.” And just like that everything was resolved. She settled at the counter with the pile of letters looking like she belonged there while Ben rummaged through his fridge and cabinets.

“Here it is!” the girl exclaimed happily, eagerly opening the envelope. Weirdly, there were no triumphant noises or happy dances. The kitchen was unnaturally silent. He frowned, seeing her frozen face.

“Rey? Rey, are you OK?” Ben asked with concern. She swallowed hard, a fat tear rolling down her cheek.

“I... I'm fine. I just...” Her face crumpled and she broke down into sobs. He dropped to his knees before her in horror, with no idea what to do. Ben awkwardly put his hands on her tense shoulders rubbing soothing circles into her skin.

“Oh, Sweetheart. What's wrong? Talk to me.”

“I didn't get it,” Rey sniffed. “The scholarship. I tried so hard...” Another sob seized her small body. Ben simply held her to his chest like his mother used to do with him when he was little.

“Shh, that's fine, you'll get it next time,” he promised. “You are so smart.”

She pushed him away still sniffling. “You don't understand, if I don't get this scholarship, I need a job and I just lost mine.” Now her breakdown made more sense.

“What? Why, Sweetheart?” Ben asked, puzzled. Rey averted her eyes.

“My boss... ex-boss, is a creep. He used to say all sorts of things, but this time he tried to touch me and...” she trailed off. His blood boiled with fury. _How dared this man?!_

“He _what_?! Rey, tell me his name immediately, I'll...” _I’ll rip him a new one. I’ll bury him alive. I’ll cut him in two._ “I'll sue him to the moon and back,” Ben finally settled on a more acceptable option. Rey cracked a weak smile.

“I don't think I can afford your hourly rate.”

“You'll get a discount,” he promised while gently wiping her tears.

“Besides, it's him who is going to sue me.” Her unexpected statement made his eyebrows rise in surprise. “I kind of made sure he won't have children in the near future. Or ever,” Rey explained shyly. Ben had never been so proud of someone before. His girl- well, not his, - she was a fighter.

“Well, if you do need a lawyer...” he winked.

“I'll let you know,” she smiled back. Her nose might be red and eyes puffy but still she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, even as embarrassed as she was. Rey looked at him guiltily. “I probably should get going. Sorry for spoiling your evening.” She made a move to get up and Ben absolutely couldn’t let her do it.

“But what about dinner?” he asked hastily.

“Dinner?”

“Yes, the one I'm cooking.” It didn’t bother him that he hadn’t even picked a dish yet. One way or another Rey was getting fed.

“You are cooking?” she asked dubiously.

“Uh huh. An omelette,” Ben quickly came up with an answer. “And brownies.” Girls loved chocolate, right?

“Brownies?” Rey’s eyes lit up and that was his tell.

“Yep, with chocolate chips,” Ben grinned knowing that he hit the nail. For a second she looked torn, then decided.

“I think I can stay for a bit,” she replied bashfully. “If that’s OK?”

It was more than OK. As far as he was concerned she could stay for the rest of the week and he would totally be fine. Though he probably shouldn’t say that to Rey.

Ben had always been partial to omelettes. On those extremely rare occasions when Leia had been home on time this had been one of her go-to dishes. Years later he still used the same recipe his mother borrowed from his grandmother’s book. Under Rey’s fascinated gaze he picked out eggs, cherry tomatoes, and basil. The herb would add a wonderful smell to the dish. He cut the tomatoes in half, cracked the eggs into a bowl, and beat them with salt and pepper, fighting a wave of nostalgia. This was the task his mother had allowed him to do when he was a child. How far away it seemed now.

As Ben swirled eggs over fried tomatoes and basil, Rey peeked into the pan with interest. “How do you do it?”

“What?” he asked, unsure about the question. Rey huffed.

“This cookery mumbo-jumbo?”

“I just follow the recipe,” Ben chuckled, earning himself a glare.

“Bullshit. I tried that before. It _never_ works,” the girl protested stubbornly.

“Then you had a bad recipe,” he smirked. “Rey, trust me, cooking is not advanced math.”

“I know. Math I _can_ do,” she grumbled. Ben shook his head.

“Whatever you say. You know, if you want to help, you can measure chocolate for brownies.” He grabbed a container hidden on the top shelf. “The scales are over there. You do know how to use them, right?”

Rey gave him a look of utter indignation. “I am an Engineering major, I am capable of using kitchen appliances.” Turned out she did, but not before eating half of the container. Apparently bitter chocolate wasn’t off-putting to her. At his incredulous stare she only raised her eyebrow.

“What? It’s made out of cocoa beans, it’s practically a vegetable.”

While their omelette was cooking Ben made a mixture for brownies (which Rey wholeheartedly approved judging from the enthusiasm with which she licked the spoon) and put it into the heated oven. As the smell of melted chocolate filled the kitchen he served their dinners and they both did justice to Padme’s recipe.

Later, when their food was finished and their tea drunk, Ben followed Rey with leftover brownies to the door. She looked so much happier than just a couple of hours before and he couldn’t help but feel pride for lifting her mood. Rey looked at him with her bright hazel eyes.

“Thank you so much for today. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

Ben’s face softened. “You have nothing to thank me for. Trust me, you'll get that scholarship next year. And if you need a lawyer...” he trailed off with a smirk. Rey grinned.

“I have one, I know. Thank you for the evening.” And then, to his surprise, she raised on her toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “Good night, Ben.”

“Good night,” he answered dazedly, standing stunned in the hall long after she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me. Even fics written by my fluff-loving ass need a bit of angst but it's only for plot purposes, I promise. And we can enjoy protective Ben in the meantime so it's not so bad. Don't worry, Rey will be fine.


	3. Comforting Sausage Bake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Rey has got her letter, she has no need to visit Ben again, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my wonderful beta. Any possible mistakes are my own.

Despite all his efforts, Ben couldn’t get his lovely neighbor out of his head. Rey and her dazzling smile, Rey and her sparkly eyes, Rey and her adorable freckles, Rey and her endless optimism filled his thoughts that should have been occupied by work and only work. He was distracted in the worst possible way. Snoke wasn’t pleased.

But the worst part was the fact that he wouldn’t see her again. She’d received her letter and now there was no reason for her to come again. They weren’t even friends, for God’s sake! Didn’t mean he didn’t want them to be. The girl was a rey of light and positivity in his lonely existence.

By the time Friday came Ben was terribly frustrated. He was torn between the desire to run after Rey like a lovesick puppy and to keep her as far away from him as possible for her own sake. Ben was bad news, she was too good for him. Trying to reign himself in, he turned to the only thing that calmed him – cooking.

Alas, things didn’t go as smoothly as he planned. At first, his state-of-the-art oven refused to heat up. Then he almost cut his finger slicing tomatoes. Ben did cut his finger while peeling the garlic and was forced to take a break to find a band-aid. It gave him a moment to calm down and he proceeded to cook with more caution. He tore a delicious-smelling bread into nice chunks, put everything into a roasting tray, poured in beans, and drizzled it with olive oil and red wine vinegar before mixing it all together. Then he prepared his sausages, twisting each of them into two, and placed them among the beans and tomatoes. In those moments Ben liked to pretend he was an artist finishing his masterpiece. Just because his was an edible one didn’t mean it was any worse. He put the tray into the oven to roast and only then realized what a mistake he’d made. Now he had the whole forty-five minutes to regret how Rey wasn’t there with him.

Ben lasted precisely ten. Then he grabbed his jacket and keys, and ventured to find apartment 47b. The door opened the second he knocked, revealing a beautifully flushed Rey sporting a messy bun and a cute jean dress.

“Ben!” she squeaked, her smile emphasized by her dimples. 

“Hi,” he replied, thinking that he died and went to heaven.

“Hi.” Rey was still smiling. “I was…” she started.

“I thought…” Ben begun. They both laughed awkwardly.

“You first,” the girl prompted him gently. He nervously carded his hair.

“I thought maybe you would like to join me for dinner tonight? That is, unless you have other plans,” Ben amended, quickly realizing that someone as sweet and cute as Rey would certainly have a hot date on Friday night. “Then I won’t take any more of your time,” he finished decidedly less animatedly. To his surprise, she grinned.

“I don’t.” Rey’s eyes rounded. “I mean you don’t. Take my time, that is. I don’t have plans. Or whatever.” By the end she was blushing again which endeared her even more to him. 

“Great!” 

“Great!” They were staring at each other until Rey remembered herself. “Let me grab my keys.”

“What are we eating tonight?” Rey asked cheerfully as they rode the elevator. How on earth she could always be so cheerful? Indeed, happiness was a character trait for some people. Ben’s hand itched to take her little hand with his, but he couldn’t do it, could he? They were just friends after all.

“Sausage bake,” he said instead. “I hope you like beans.”

“I love beans. I love everything you make,” she proclaimed seriously. Ben chuckled.

“You haven’t tried everything yet.”

“Is that an invitation?” Rey eyed him from under her lashes. “Because I wouldn’t mind.”

“Good to know,” he choked. She didn’t really mean it, right? Of course not. Beautiful smart girls like her barely even looked at him. As he opened the front door he decided to stir the conversation onto safer topics. “So, how are you?” Ben questioned with interest, remembering the scholarship disaster.

“I’ve got a new job!” Rey chirped with a blinding grin.

“Congratulations! I hope this owner isn’t a creep?”

“Oh, no, she is a sweet old lady, maybe a bit odd but definitely not creepy. Actually, she is the owner of the coffee shop I told you about.”

Ben rummaged through his memories. “Wait, wait, wait.  _ Same eyes, different people _ one,” he grinned in triumph. Rey giggled.

“Yeah,  _ the belonging you seek is not behind you, it’s ahead  _ one,” she added using her best clairvoyant voice.

“You do have a knack for finding yourself bosses,” snorted Ben as they settled comfortably in his kitchen. Rey fit there so perfectly he had to constantly remind himself that this is a one-time (or three-time) occurrence.

“Nah, Maz is a sweetheart.” The name seemed disturbingly familiar.

“Maz?” he asked carefully.

“Kanata. From Castle. You must have heard about it,” Rey insisted, clearly meaning that any caffeine-addict had been there at some point. She couldn’t know about the questionable deals the owner (or his own father) used to participate in.

“Yes, I have,” he muttered to himself. Rey didn’t hear him, busy as she was eyeing the oven.

“Smells  _ so _ good. How much longer?”

Ben smirked. “Twenty more minutes, give or take five.” He pushed a leftover focaccia slice toward her, which she gladly started munching on that very second. It seemed Rey had a magical knack to make any amount of food disappear in a flash. 

“Mmm,” she loudly voiced her approval making him flush to the tips of his ears. How on earth she made eating an erotic experience he would never know. “The bread is delicious.”

“It’s called focaccia,” Ben said in a voice too low for his liking.

“Fancy,” Rey huffed. “Why is even your bread fancy?”

“No idea,” he answered truthfully. “Guess it runs in the family.” Skywalkers had always been a tad extra after all.

“Hm.” She didn’t comment further. Instead her wandering fingers moved to explore a blue-cover notebook laying on the table. “Is that your Grimoire?” Rey wandered.

“My what?” Ben turned to her with baffled expression.

“You know, Grimoire, Book of Shadows?” She looked at him expectantly. He still had no clue. “The stuff you use for your evil space wizardry.”

“I’m not sure what you are talking about,” the man responded slowly, baffled by her playful words. “It’s a cookbook.”

“A handwritten one,” Rey pointed out.

“It belonged to my grandmother,” he said with a soft smile.

“Cool.” Rey sounded wistful. “You were close?”

“She died during childbirth.” He wished they were, though. Perhaps if Padme had survived, none of her family would have turned out the way they were.

“I’m sorry,” the girl said quietly.

“It’s OK. I never actually knew her. I wish I did.”

“She was a great cook?” It was a surprising question, though a valid one. A mere recipe book won’t make you remotely good at cooking.

“Obviously,” Ben huffed. “But she was more than that. My grandma, Padme, was a diplomat. Every time she visited a new place she picked up a new recipe. She believed it helped her to understand people better.”

“Sounds nice.” Rey had a weird far-away look on her face.

“Yes,” he said simply. Everything about his grandma sounded nice.

“Does everyone in your family cook?” Her question made Ben shrug.

“More or less? My mom inherited her talent along with the book but she rarely had a chance to cook, too busy with her career. My uncle…” he winced at the memories. “I guess, he is pretty good at it too. He even has his own, what did you call it, Grimoire?” Ben opened the notebook and showed Rey the last few pages. “See that? Padme left several empty pages and we tried to write down the best of our own recipes. That’s my mom’s.” He followed the cursive with his finger. “And that’s my uncle’s.”

The girl followed his movements with rapt attention. “This is yours?” she asked as he reached the last one.

“Uh huh.”

“You have such pretty handwriting,” Rey sighed. Ben blushed at the unexpected praise.

“Thank you. I actually have my own recipe book but I like this one better.” For obvious reasons. Padme didn’t do things by halves.

“I can understand why.” 

At last the timer went off. Ben took out his bake, golden, bubbling and deliciously smelling as Rey helped him with plates and cutlery. As she stuffed the first bite into her mouth her face scrunched into the cutest expression ever.

“So? Did I live up to your expectations?” Ben asked as she moaned in delight.

“This is fantastic!” Rey proclaimed happily, attacking her plate with gusto.

“Maybe you are just hungry?” he teased. The girl gave him a half-hearted glare.

“You are an amazing cook, learn to live with it.”

“Whatever you say, Sweetheart,” chuckled Ben.

Way too soon for his liking, their plates were cleaned and the darkened windows hinted at how late it actually was. Reluctantly, he followed Rey to the door to say his goodbyes.

“I can’t thank you enough for saving me from a sad fate of mac-and-cheese,” she grinned, her dimpled smile making his heart skip a beat.

“And I can’t thank you enough for being such nice company,” Ben responded somberly, though his eyes twinkled mischievously.

“Maybe I…” Rey begun.

“Could you…” he started at the same time. They both laughed. 

“Sorry, you first,” she prompted.

“Do you think you could come here next week?” Ben asked her gingerly, hope blooming inside his chest. “Just a friendly dinner, I promise.”

“A friendly dinner?” Rey tapped her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I think I could fit you in my schedule.”

“Could you now?” He leaned closer. “Maybe you can give me your number just in case?” 

The girl beamed. “Sure.” She rattled off a string of numbers and patiently waited for Ben’s text to make sure he got it right. When she was finally satisfied, she pecked his cheek quickly. “See you next time!”

“Bye, Sweetheart,” he rumbled, already planning the next dinner menu.


	4. Roast Chicken for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben tries his best to figure out what delicious thing to cook for his cute neighbour and how to keep himself in check at the same time. Rey needs a teacher and she gets one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who left their comments and kudos here! I've never expected to get so much love for this story, you guys are the best! Another thanks to my sweet beta fulcrum_of_pemberley who pointed some interesting things about this chapter (which you can see at the end notes).

He had to up his game. Make something mouthwateringly fragrant and toe-curlingly delicious, meat, maybe with vegetables. Or fruits? Decisions, decisions.

Nothing too heavy, though. A chicken then? Yes, exactly. With pear and cranberry stuffing. Mmmm.

“How does it sound, Ren?”

“Nice,” Ben replied automatically only to be met with shocked stares. Hux’s eyes bugged out of his head. Phasma looks like she had just eaten a fly.

“Did you just imply,” started Snoke in a dangerously silky voice, “that it would be _nice_ for our client to agree to Kanjiclub’s demands and to move the hearing date?”

“Sure, if they want to look like idiots,” Ben replied smoothly (or so he thought). “We do not back down on _anything_.” His boss nodded, seemingly satisfied. Ben exhaled in relief. That was too close.

At last he was free. Rey knocked on his door right after he let himself in. She gave him a smile that could compete with the sun itself, effectively knocking air from his chest.

“Hi! Not too early, I hope?”

“Never,” proclaimed Ben sincerely as soon as he remembered how to talk. “Come on, we have a lot to do.”

“We?” Rey asked suspiciously, one eyebrow raised high. He chuckled.

“Well, _I_ am going to cook, and_ you_ are going to tell me about your week.”

“That doesn’t sound fair,” the girl admitted pensively. It totally did to him. Ben wanted to know everything about her. As a friend, of course, in a purely platonic way. Yes, right.

“We can switch if you want, but let me tell you, my work is much less fun than yours,” he smirked. Rey narrowed eyes at him.

“I told you, I’m a shite cook.”

“You need a teacher,” Ben said nonchalantly, making her scoff.

“Seriously? Do you have any idea how much cooking school costs?” The girl stared at him. He stared back. While Rey’s stubbornness (or was it resilience?) made her incredibly endearing, sometimes it made her _a bit_ dense. Finally a look of comprehension appeared on her face. “_You_? You mean _yourself_?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Do you see someone else here?” Ben smirked.

“No, but… You’ll spend your time on me? _Just like that_?” Rey asked incredulously as if the mere concept of people enjoying teaching her, helping her was so out there. His heart hurt for her. It was true that Ben didn’t actually know her well. She was his cute cheerful neighbor, a ray of sunshine in his bleak life. For all he knew she had led a happy carefree existence, but the look on her face told him that her past hadn’t been all sunshine and roses.

“Of course I will!” he said as reassuringly as possible. “I like spending time with you. Isn’t it obvious?”

Rey studied at him for a moment with a curious look on her face, then smiled. “I like spending time with you, too.”

Warmth bloomed in Ben’s chest from her confession. If he were a different man, someone like his father or Uncle Lando, he would consider it an invitation. But he wasn’t a smooth talker, he was his awkward, shy, nerdy self, so he simply smiled back and handed her a pear.

“Come on, Sweetheart, this is your first step. Peel, core, and chop it. Oh, and try not to eat it whole,” he added in afterthought. Rey sent him a mock-glare.

“I would never!” she responded indignantly, then promptly burst out laughing. Ben only shook his head and passed her another pear. Then he almost had a heart attack when he saw how she held the knife.

“Hey, hey, hey! Your fingers are not among the ingredients.”

“I’m useless at this,” Rey sighed helplessly.

“Nonsense,” the man insisted. “Let me show you.” Coming up behind her, Ben carefully covered her hands with his and positioned them correctly, mindful not to crowd her too much. “See? Just like this.” Rey’s hands were so small and warm under his bear paws, and her slender frame fit perfectly under his chin. It would be so easy to just wrap his arms around her, nuzzle her hair and… And it wasn’t his place to do that. He wasn’t her boyfriend, for God’s sake! Reluctantly Ben separated himself from his oh-so-tempting pupil, giving her her space. Oddly, Rey didn’t look uncomfortable with his forward actions. She simply cast him an inquiring glance and smiled.

“Thanks, Chef! Now my fingers are safe.” The minx even wiggled them in front of his face to prove the point.

Ben cleared his throat awkwardly, hoping that he didn’t look as flustered as he thought he did. “Anytime.”

Now that he knew that her hands were in no imminent danger, he showed her how to chop onions to his liking and together they peeled the garlic. Rey was surprised when the onion cutting didn’t make her cry, and overall she was having fun. Trimming the chicken livers was less appealing, though Ben discovered that his diligent pupil was not the skittish sort, which was another nice little discovery about her.

When everything was chopped, he heated a frying pan with a bit of oil, added the pear, onion and garlic, a handful of chestnuts with a sprig of sage, and showed Rey how to saute the mix until it softened. She stirred the mass with child-like wonder, making Ben’s heart skip a beat. How come this smart, curious girl had had no opportunity to learn her way around a kitchen? She was a natural.

With his guidance, Rey dropped a large knob of butter and then the livers into the pan.

“My young padawan, let me show you the ways of evil space wizardry,” Ben teased her while adding the salt to the mix. “This is called seasoning. Too much – and you won’t want it in your mouth, too little and your food will taste like a cupboard. The herbs give extra flavor. See?”

Rey sighed. “It looks so simple when you do it. You just add the right ingredients at the right time in the right place. Like chemistry.”

“Food _is_ chemistry, just tastes better,” he smirked. “Now do me a favor and add the brandy.” Ben chuckled as Rey squealed and then giggled when the liquid hit the hot pan with a loud noise. She looked so innocent and carefree like this, completely unbothered by anything, taking in every word he said. He had never taught anyone before and was surprised how much he liked the whole experience.

“Now, we don’t want to overcook the livers, lest they become tough; we want them silky smooth,” Ben announced, taking the pan from the heat. “Help me, please, with the food processor?”

“Sure,” Rey beamed. “You want to blend it?”

“Yes, it should be creamy with a bit of texture. Just use the pulse setting.” As Rey figured out his appliance, Ben grabbed a handful of cranberries to put into the stuffing, mixed it in, and put it into the fridge to cool.

“Now onto the fun part. Have you ever stuffed a chicken?” He knew that the answer most likely would be no.

“You mean have I ever stuffed my face with chicken?” Rey asked cheekily. “Yes, sure.”

Ben snorted loudly. “That’s not what I meant, but it’s close enough. You’ll want to pay attention to this part.” He gently pushed his fingers between the skin and breast meat to make a pocket for the stuffing they made. He remembered how his dad used to say that his paws weren’t suitable for delicate work. Well, Han was wrong. Cooking required patience and precision and apparently Ben had them in just the right amount. He carefully pushed the stuffing in, put the skin back, and secured it with a couple of toothpicks. “That’s to keep it from escaping. Now we need to season the chicken. Want to try?”

Rey grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.” She boldly grabbed a fistful of salt under his horrified gaze. “What? Go big or go home,” she shrugged.  
At last the long-suffering bird was properly prepared and ready to be stuffed with the pieces of orange Ben cut for this purpose. 

“We need to fit as many as we can inside…”

“Great!” interjected Rey. “I’m _deadly _at Tetris.”

“… making sure there is still enough room for air,” he finished with teasing disapproval. She pouted at that but did keep her eagerness in check. Finally, the tray with their supper was put into the oven and Rey let out a sigh of relief.

“All done?” she grinned.

“Almost, if we skip the fact that the chicken has to cook for more than an hour and we need to cover it with bacon halfway through,” he snorted. “So, want some tea?” Rey did.

They talked and talked all evening through. Ben told her about his clients and their ridiculous demands, how his nervous assistant Mitaka kept mixing up his coffee orders, how Netal somehow had an affair with every other client she got, or how Hux accidentally spammed everyone with photos of his only true love, Millicent the Cat.

Rey recounted her usual day at the coffee shop, how much she loved working with Maz and the girls, how she balanced her studies, work, and life and still remained at the top of her class, about a sweet friendly Jack Russell one of her friends adopted and she loved to bits. Ben was awed. She was so hard-working, so smart, so kind, still managing to find time to smile at her customers and to pet cute dogs even though she was extra busy all day long. How did he manage to get someone so wonderful in his life?

The chicken ended up being delicious. Rey’s first cooking lesson was a success. When she waved good bye that night, all bright eyes and happy smiles, she promised to text him during the week about her friends’ reaction to her newfound cooking prowess, and for the first time Ben didn’t feel a pang of sadness as she left. This time, he knew he had something to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who was worried about Rey being hungry for two hours. Of course Ben keeps snacks handy for her and of course he would offer her other yummy things to go with tea. Rey is one happy lucky well-fed girl ;)


	5. Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is curious. Ben just won't take a hint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of love for everyone who left comments and kudos for this story and a huge thanks to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

Ben was fairly sure that the universe low-key hated him. The Starkiller scandal forced the whole team basically to move into their workplaces and only occasional messages from Rey reminded him of life beyond the office walls. They managed to tackle the worst of it by Friday so he went home feeling lighter than he had in ages. His girl caught him as Ben entered his unit, looking radiant in her green polka-dot sweater.

“Missed me?” she grinned cheekily, her eyes sparkling with very contagious excitement.

“You have no idea,” he replied sincerely. Rey seemed to be taken aback by his candidness.

“I missed you too,” she said softly. “My friends even made fun of me,” she grinned and just like that her playfulness was back.

“Oh?”

“Of how much I talk about you,” Rey explained and his chest was suddenly flooded with warmth. “Or our lessons. They said they need to see it to believe it,” she huffed in mock-offense.

“Maybe I could take a photo?” Ben suggested nonchalantly, deep down desperately wanting a picture of Rey’s smile for himself.

“Maybe,” the girl murmured. “So, imagine, we were just hanging out at Finn and Rose’s, having pizza and…”

“You made pizza?” interjected Ben, surprised that she ventured into the world of cooking without him.

Rey scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. We ordered take-out. You can’t make pizza at home.”

He stopped dead in his tracks. “Yes, you can.”

“No, you can’t,” Rey insisted. “Unless it’s a ready-made one.” 

Ben stared at her like she had grown a second head. “OK, deal, we are making pizza. From scratch.”

“Seriously?” She looked at him all wide-eyed and innocent and he just couldn’t help but tease her a little.

“I’ll show you the ways of the dough,” Ben promised her with a smirk.

“First you need to stir the flour to make sure it’s airy and clean.”

As Rey stirred Ben mixed water with dry yeast.

“Why did you put sugar in there?” she asked, confused. “I thought it’s supposed to be savory?”

“We need to activate the yeast to check if it works. If everything is OK you’ll see foam soon. Besides, you’ll want to add a dash of salt into a sweet dough and a dash of sugar into a savory one just to make the taste pop.”

“You and your space wizardry,” his sweet girl muttered to herself.

When the yeast produced the foam (and why wouldn’t it? Ben had always bought only high-quality products from good shops) he carefully mixed in the flour until the dough pulled together, then lightly dusted his table with flour to prepare it for kneading. Rey poked the dough curiously with her finger, watching the indents she left. Ben chuckled.

“Come on, Sweetheart, we have to knead it until it’s smooth and elastic. Just like this.” He divided the dough in two showing her how to move her hands with his half. Naturally, she enjoyed the process, giggling and covering everything with flour. Even her cute little nose was dusted with it, though how or when Rey managed to do that, Ben had no idea. After, he joined the two parts, put them in an oiled bowl and covered it with light cloth. “Now we only need to let it rise in a warm place.”

“Like under the covers?”

Ben smirked. “Possibly. But I have a better trick. We can simply heat a cup of water in the microwave and put the dough there. Without turning it on, obviously.”

“Obviously,” deadpanned Rey.

When everything was settle,d they could sit down to chat and nibble on healthy snacks Ben had prepared specifically for this purpose (he was worried about Rey’s consumption of saturated fats and complex carbohydrates. A human can eat only so much sugar).

“So, I was meaning to ask - why BB Ate?”

The girl smiled fondly, her cute dimples showing. “Technically it’s BB8, that’s how they name pups in the shelter, but then ‘Ate’ just stuck.” 

“Stuck?” Ben repeated confusedly.

“You know, “What happened to your shoes? – BB ate them,” “Where is my sandwich? – BB ate it,” “Who mangled the remote control? – BB…””

“I’ve got the message,” he snorted.

“Don’t get the wrong impression, BB is the sweetest thing ever, very friendly, just like Poe.” She smiled fondly at the thought of her friend.

To tell the truth, Ben had been curious for a while about Rey’s friends. They clearly meant a lot to her and he knew that two of them were male. But were they friends or _friends_? That was the question. Not that it meant anything. This brilliant girl was definitely too good for him and also not interested. Why would she be? No, this was idle curiosity, nothing else.

“Tell me more,” he ventured.

Rey squirmed a little. “My friends are a bit unconventional.”

“How so?”

Ben had always known he was an old-fashioned person. A conservative one. An old soul, according to Leia. He stopped understanding his peers in high school and all the antics kids were up to these days left him deeply confused. Heaven knows how he managed to click with Rey; their worlds were just polar opposites. The more she talked, the more Ben frowned in concentration, trying to make sense of it.

“Slow down, let me get this straight. Finn used to date Poe.” If he started counting on his fingers, that wasn’t his fault.

“Correct.”

“But they broke up.”

“Yes.”

“And remained friends.”

“Mhmm.”

“Then Finn started dating Rose, with whom he is in a committed relationship,” Ben said slowly, “_but_ he continues to see Poe, like, _see_ him?”

Rey beamed proudly as if he were a child finally learning a particularly difficult poem. “Not quite: they _both_ are seeing Poe.”

“And they all are totally fine about it,” he muttered incredulously. Ben himself could never do polyamory. He _did not share_. Full stop. “That’s…”

“Kinky?” supplied Rey.

“I was going with unconventional, but that works too,” he smirked. The girl rolled her eyes.

“You are so proper.”

“Me? I am wounded.”

Rey cast him a calculating glance. “But seriously, all my friends think you are gay.”

Ben choked. “Excuse me?”

The minx just shrugged, not even looking apologetic. “Like, you look _so _good and you have this gorgeous hair and cook and haven’t once tried to get into my pants. So, are you?”

“Am I what?” Ben’s mind was still processing that she thought he looked good _and_ liked his hair.

“Gay?”

He finally registered the question and turned fifty shades of red. “No, no, nope. No. I mean, I’m fine with gay people, I just don’t like them, I mean _like _like them…”

Rey giggled. “I’ve got the idea.”

“I’m straight, I promise,” Ben reassured her, wondering how he’d managed to conceal his attraction so successfully. Maybe he wasn’t that bad at acting?

“Good to know,” the girl murmured, looking at him intently. Why was she doing that? Ben felt like he was missing something. “So, any girlfriend you want to tell me about?”

“No?” he replied, utterly baffled. Everything about him and his apartment screamed ‘forever alone’. Where could she get such an idea? “I mean, not that I don’t want to tell you, I just don’t have one.”

Rey looked puzzled. “Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Ben, you are a sweet, caring person with a fancy job and supreme cooking skills, not to mention your looks. You _must_ have a cute blond girlfriend from a good family who works at an art gallery and volunteers at an animal shelter or something,” she informed him seriously.

He gaped at her like a fish out of water. What a ridiculous idea. If he ever had a girlfriend, he would go for a brunette with freckles, who studies Engineering and learns how to cook and… Yep, not gonna happen.

“Oh, um, no. I don’t. I just… there must be something more,” Ben searched for the right words, “a _connection_. Besides, who wants a boyfriend who’s never home?”

“I see,” Rey said in a tone he couldn’t decipher.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Any boyfriend? Or girlfriend? Or both?” he amended hastily. “I won’t judge, I promise.”

“I’m straight. I guess,” she added hesitantly looking at him with wide innocent eyes. “I have never been in relationship so I’m not entirely sure.”

Ben blinked. “Rey, that’s not how relationships work.”

“Are you an expert now?” she teased. “Sorry, I think I’m straight.”

“But… how are you single?” There was no way a girl like her didn’t have an army of admirers. “You are smart and gorgeous and…”

“You think I’m gorgeous?” Rey asked out of sheer surprise.

“You are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen,” Ben replied with conviction, reveling in the way she blushed. “You should have a ton of suitors.”

“Suitors? How nineteenth century of you,” she snorted. “Like you said, finding a true connection is difficult and I don’t want to settle for anything else.” Her eyes were searching and vulnerable, like she wanted to convey something. But of course that was just his wistful thinking.

“I understand.”

“You do? Ah, you do,” Rey smiled sadly as if he failed to get a joke. Why were women so confusing? He wouldn’t mind a guide to this exquisite example.

He was saved from further musing by the sound of the timer announcing that the dough had risen. Ben punched it down, and divided it into four balls. As Rey turned on the oven, he produced a pizza stone.

“You are _so_ extra,” she informed him shaking her head.

“A perk of being a fancy lawyer. If you don’t buy fancy things, then what is the point?” he huffed.

Finally, they got to the fun part where they put all the tasty goodness on the pizza. Since Rey couldn’t decide what she wanted, they ended up with a tomato and mozzarella one, one with four different kinds of cheese, a tomato, mushroom and sausage one, and one she was particularly proud of: pineapple, olives, and chicken . All that remained was to drop basil leaves on top, drizzle them with oil, and put their ‘masterpieces’ into the oven.

Rey would deny it, but she squealed and jumped like a five-year old when she saw the pizzas all golden-brown and bubbly. Ben chuckled at her innocent excitement until he remembered to snap a photo for her friends. The pizzas lived up to the expectations judging from the velocity of their disappearance and how Rey moaned and licked her fingers. When she left for the night, it was with promises to try her hand at home and to message him about it, leaving Ben to deal with a happy, bubbly feeling in his chest that awfully reminded him of hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don't hate me. Ben has lots of self-esteem issues, especially when it comes to Rey. She will straighten him out. Eventually.


	6. Delicious Zuppa Toscana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey tries comfort food. Ben opens up to her about his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone who left me lovely comments and kudos and lots of love for this work - you all are absolute sweethearts! Thank you! A particular thank you to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley who is absolute wonder and always finds a way to make my writing better!  
Just a little warning - the second part of the chapter is a bit angsty since our space kids discuss their families (or lack of thereof). Nothing that didn't happen in canon, but still. I promise, we'll return to fluff in the next chapter.

After the pizza evening, Rey attacked Ben with photos showing her cooking progress. One text after another, and suddenly they had daily chats about everything and nothing. Apparently his young apprentice was bubbly and cheerful even at 6 AM, chirping about the cat she saw on her walk to uni, a new plant she put on her windowsill, or the obnoxiously flavored new drink some people had the audacity to call coffee. They even managed to squeeze in a couple more lessons, during which Rey pleaded with him to make cookies. To say it was a success was an understatement. The girl had a real knack for baking; a bit more practice and she would exceed her teacher. Ben was so proud of her. They complemented each other perfectly, with his cooking skills and her baking ones they would rule over the kitchen… which of course was his wild daydreaming, nothing more. He might have wanted, even craved Rey’s presence in his life, but he had absolutely zero idea about her desires. Why would a bright young girl want to do anything with him? Other than consume his dinners, that is. He was already lucky enough she wanted to be friends. Ben could respect her wishes. He would be whatever she needed.

“Could we make soup next time?” Rey asked him in a soft voice. “It’s supposed to be comforting, right?”

He didn’t know why she wanted comfort food, but he would be damned if he didn’t deliver.

“I know exactly the recipe, Sweetheart,” Ben smiled reassuringly. Or, more precisely, Padme did. That’s how he ended up buying a pound of the finest Italian sausage. He handed her the string.

“Could you please separate them until I find my Dutch oven?”

Rey stared at him with her mouth agape. “You have _another_ oven?”

Ben chuckled. “Sweetheart, a Dutch oven is not an actual oven, it’s a pan.” He shook his head as she flushed in embarrassment. “That’s OK, you are here to learn.”

Rey sighed. “I feel like a child in the woods.”

“Well, good thing you didn’t meet a witch,” he quipped.

“No, just a friendly space wizard,” she beamed at him, her dimples showing. God, she was cute.

Ben showed Rey how to cook the sausage seasoned with red pepper until it became nice and brown and then allowed her to do the same with bacon. Then he diced the onion as she minced the garlic and they cooked it with a bit of fat left from the bacon. After the onions turned soft and translucent Ben poured in the chicken broth and turned the heat on to make it boil.

“Could you help me with potatoes?” he asked. She immediately perked up.

“Yep, what do you want me to do?”

“Peel and slice it.”

Rey happily grabbed the knife, showing him her improved skills. “See, my fingers are safe.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ben snorted. “They are too pretty to eat.” He particularly enjoyed making her flush. A man was allowed to have a single guilty pleasure, right?

They added the potatoes into the boiling broth and after it softened, Ben stirred in a cup of heavy cream and the sausage. Under his guidance, Rey added the spinach and the soup was ready for serving.

“Wow, just wow,” she sighed happily after the first spoon. Ben smirked at her.

“Comforting?”

“You have no idea.” She closed her eyes looking like a very contented cat bathing in the sun. “You know, I envy you a little,” she confessed wistfully, her fingers tracing the edges of Padme’s cookbook. “You have these recipes, stories and… it’s so sweet. A perfect family.” There was longing in her eyes and Ben just couldn’t suppress a bitter laugh. “What?” she frowned.

“Rey, my family is the furthest thing from _perfect_,” he said, probably for the first time aloud. Usually the topic was taboo, even with his therapist, but with her it was different.

“Don’t say that,” Rey chastised him softly. He should have shut up then and there but the words flew out of his mouth, finally free after years of suppression.

“My grandmother,” Ben started, “the diplomat, the one who wrote this, she married a man beneath her. He became a prominent lawyer who ended up working for corrupt politicians and mob bosses. She confronted him, heavily pregnant, and it sent her into early labor she didn’t survive.” He hated himself for telling her. Now that she knew his twisted background she would leave him for good. Why would she need a broken man from a broken home?

Instead Rey just covered his hand with hers. “Oh, Ben.”

“That’s not all,” he soldiered on against his own will. “Their kids met each other only when they were eighteen. My uncle became a lawyer too, the one who sent my grandfather to prison.” He didn’t realize he’d clenched his fists until his nails dug into the skin.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Ben was too.

“That’s probably the worst of it. The rest is less dramatic.” _But no less painful._ “My mother followed my grandmother’s footsteps and went into politics. She also married a man from the wrong side of the law. You know, the kettle and the pot,” he laughed bitterly. “Both of them were too busy with their lives to pay attention to a child they accidentally made. I was raised by nannies.” Ben nervously carded his hair with his free hand. “Fuck, Rey, I learned how to cook when I was left alone on my birthday. No one bothered to even buy a cake.” That was his esteemed family’ stellar parenting style. The one he apparently wasn’t grateful enough for.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Rey whispered, her thumb rubbing soothing circles into his skin. Ben exhaled heavily.

“And when I turned from a kid into an angsty teenager they sent me to my now professor uncle. You see, their hands were too full and he promised to make a lawyer out of me.”

“You are a lawyer,” she pointed out.

“I know I am.” _No thanks to his family._ “I tried so damn hard; that’s how my boss, Snoke, noticed me. He invited me to work for him after graduation. I refused. And then Luke found out. He…” Ben winced at the memory, “He called me a monster, said that I would end up like my grandfather. I didn’t even _know_, they’d never told me.” He shook his head, unable to see Rey’s sympathetic face. “So, long story short, my uncle expelled and my boss took me in. _Perfect family_, my ass,” he snorted bitterly. Rey was silent for a long time, absently caressing his hand.

“I… I wouldn’t know any different,” she admitted looking at him sincerely. “My parents left me in a grocery shop when I was four.”

Ben lifted his head abruptly, his mouth agape. How could anyone do that to his precious girl?! _How was it even possible?!_

“I can’t even remember them, only a voice that told me they would come back,” she smiled sadly. “They never did.”

Ben’s heart broke for her. “Oh, Sweetheart.”

“I grew up in foster care,” she continued, not looking at him. “That’s where my issues with food come from.”

“Rey,” he uttered, in shock how this brilliant, full of sunshine girl could go through all of that alone. Ben felt he was the worst jackass in existence. It was her who was a true hero, a true fighter, the one deserving of sympathy and he just fed her his rich white boy sob story.

“It’s fine, it’s OK now,” she waved him off with a watery smile. “It’s just hard to make people understand. I hate pity, you know. I’m not a _charity case_.”

“Of course you aren’t,” Ben protested fiercely. “You are one of the strongest people I know.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I just… sometimes I see these little things – family traditions, birthday cards, photos, and I feel so alone.”

“You are not alone,” Ben vowed with all the conviction he could muster. She wouldn’t be as long as he was alive. He squeezed her small hand in reassurance. Rey squeezed back.

“Neither are you.” She was so sincere, so beautiful, that then and there Ben finally faced the truth – he had fallen for this incredible girl head over heels and there was nothing he could do about it.


	7. Mushroom & Tunworth Cheese Pies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben deals with his feelings Ben-style. Mitaka gets a shock. Rey is a patient angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back. Sorry for the wait, last week was stressful and then my colleague gave me this paint-by-numbers kit and I've got distracted. 
> 
> Lots of love for everyone who left comments and kudos, you are the best! Extra thanks to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley, who always knows how to make my writing understandable!

It’s elating to realize he’s in love. It’s also freaking terrifying. Ben had been in love before, but never like this; never had he felt such a surge of affection and protectiveness. He had never felt _understood_. He had never felt _seen_. The moment Ben allowed himself to have those feelings, he was gone. Rey – Rey was _everything_. She also was a brilliant young woman ten years his junior with a bright future ahead, while he was a grumpy, morally challenged lawyer set in his ways. They had the potential of star-crossed lovers, except that Rey told him plainly that she had avoided relationships so far. What on earth would make her change her opinion? No, any action of his could backfire and potentially destroy the only good thing in his life. Ben would settle for what he could get.

Luckily, Rey graced him with her attention quite often. She texted, she called, and she cooked with him and that was enough. It _should _be enough. Ben did his best not to let his feelings affect his behavior and make her uncomfortable. These were just friendly cooking lessons. He could do friendly, right?

“Do you like mushrooms?” Ben asked her, careful not to stare too much at her adorable face.

“I told you I like everything,” the object of his desires replied cheekily.

“How about mushroom and cheese pie?”

“Yum!” Rey proclaimed, showing off her dimpled smile and God, was she cute. He was going to have a hard time controlling himself if she kept doing that.

“So, these are porcini mushrooms, we soak them in boiling water. Now we need to peel and slice those,” he nodded toward the garlic and onions, prompting her to choose.

“I’ll take onions,” Rey decided.

“Sure,” Ben nodded, starting to work alongside her in a companionable silence. She fit in his kitchen so naturally that he had to remind himself often that it wasn’t like that. His brain needed a good shaking. “I’m going to dice the potatoes. Can you please heat a bit of oil in that pan while I do that?” Ben smiled at how seriously she poured the right amount, brows knitting in concentration. “More. A bit more. Perfect.”

“Now what?” Rey chirped happily, bouncing on her heels.

“Now we add garlic, thyme leaves, and butter and fry them until lightly golden,” he explained. His girl mumbled something about fancy recipes that require _both_ oil and butter, but overall seemed happy to follow his lead.

“So, your book says we need to add the onions and _sauté_ on the lower heat, whatever that means,” Rey consulted with Padme’s notes. Ben chuckled.

“Cook it like this until it’s soft, just don’t let it color.”

“That I can do,” she beamed at him.

He was lost for a moment in her beautiful eyes until the doorbell startled them both.

“I’ll get it,” Ben mumbled before rushing to the door. He was deeply puzzled to see his assistant standing there awkwardly holding a stack of papers.

“Mr. Ren? S-sorry to disturb you, Mr. Snoke asked me to give you this case,” he explained nervously as if expecting the other man to lash out. Ben sighed deeply. It was no one’s fault that Snoke was an ass who had no concept of reasonable working hours.

“Thank you, Mitaka.”

The man fidgeted a bit. “He said that you should contact the Erso lawyer…” The words got stuck in his throat as he stared with wide eyes into the apartment.

“Ben, can I add the mushrooms when the onions are ready?” Rey called from behind him, not noticing the guest immediately. “Oh, hi!” she smiled, friendly.

“H-hello,” stammered Mitaka, looking at her as if she’d grown another head. Poor guy was clearly distressed by the sight of an attractive girl at his boss’s apartment.

“I’m Rey.”

“N-nice to meet you. H-have a good evening,” he choked out before wandering off in daze.

She looked at Ben, baffled.

“Did I scare him or something?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? My assistant is not used to seeing pretty ladies here. Or women in general,” he added as an afterthought.

“Oh,” she glanced at him with an undecipherable expression.

“So, the onions,” he hastily changed the topic. They had turned just the right softness to add in the mix of fresh mushrooms. Ben fried them on high heat for a bit, guiding Rey to fish out and chop half of the soaked porcini before adding it to the pan too.

“Sweetheart, pass me the vegetable stock, please.” When she complied he poured it in, added the potatoes, and seasoned everything properly. “Now we only have to bring it to a boil and then let it simmer on a lower heat.”

Rey sighed. “How do you make it sound like no big deal?”

Ben just shrugged. In his opinion she was doing just fine. The girl wasn’t afraid to use hand blender to turn hot mushrooms into nice chunks. She even chopped the parsley like a pro. Together they divided the filling between six little pie dishes, chopped the cheese, and added it evenly inside.

“We won’t put the pastry on the bottom?” Rey frowned.

“No, we only need the lids,” Ben explained. They rolled the pastry out, and cut six pieces for the top so that he could show her how to tuck the edges down. As a final touch Ben gently pressed his finger in the middle of each pie to make a well and brushed beaten egg over.

“Is it supposed to make them tastier?” Rey asked curiously.

He chuckled at the idea.

“It’s supposed to make them prettier. A nice golden pie looks… How did you put it? Yummier?”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she promised.

While the pies were in the oven Ben started on a sauce. He stirred into the leftover filling in the pan mustard and Worcestershire sauce, added the remaining porcini and porcini liquid and boiled it with stock. After it was done his young apprentice blended it until smooth and when the pies were produced she poured pour the gravy into the little wells on the top.

The pies smelled heavenly. Rey wolfed hers down with healthy appetite, almost purring with pleasure. After, she sat there with a contented smile, completely blissed out.

“It’s so nice just to be here like this,” the girl confessed softly. “I have two papers due next week and it’s _so_ stressful. I wish I could freeze this moment in time.”

“I know what you mean,” Ben said. He definitely shared her sentiment. Maybe that was what prompted his next words. “Would you like to watch a movie with me?”

Rey gaped at him. “Now?”

“Yes,” he said, suddenly having second thoughts. Did he make her uncomfortable? Was he a creep?

“Why not?” she beamed. Ben exhaled in relief. Impossibly, his girl wanted to spend time with him.

He didn’t pay attention to the movie they’d chosen. Hell, he couldn’t even remember what it was, too aware of Rey’s body so close to his. She curled up on his couch like a cat inching closer, seeking his warmth. At some point her head ended up on his shoulder and with a start Ben realized the poor girl had fallen asleep. Deciding that proper cat etiquette applied to her too, he just sat like that, unmoving, listening to her breathing, until the end credits. It was already very late and he had no choice but to rouse her.

“Sweetheart, wake up.”

“Mmmm?” she nuzzled him sleepily.

“It’s late. Wake up.”

As soon as his words registered in her mind, Rey jumped away from him. “Oh my God, Ben, I’m so sorry, I just…” She frantically tried to neaten herself. “I’ll get out of your hair now, I promise.”

Ben chuckled, watching her flustered face. “It’s fine, don’t worry. Let me walk you home.”

“It’s literally the next unit,” she pointed out.

Ben’s protective instincts practically screamed.

“Rey, it’s late. I just want to make sure you’ve got home safe.”

She considered him for a moment, biting her plump pink lip. “OK.”

Ben’s shoulders slumped in relief. The walk to her apartment was short and uneventful. Before going inside, Rey hugged him, resting her head on his chest.

“Thank you for tonight, I had so much fun.”

“Me too, Sweetheart,” Ben whispered into her hair. Then his precious girl surged onto her tiptoes and placed a fleeting kiss on his chin.

“I’ll text you tomorrow. Good night, Ben.”

“Good night, Rey,” he whispered, staring at the door long after she disappeared inside.


	8. Roast Duck Leg, Cherry, Watercress& Feta Salad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux crushes our lovebirds' lesson. Ben is not amused. Rey is saint, but even her patience has limits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you, guys, seen the trailer??? Of course you had, or else I'm not sure why you are still reading this story. In order to celebrate this (and the fact that Reylo is real, not that we doubted) here is a new chapter.
> 
> A shout-out to my wonderful beta fulcrum_of_pemberley, who keeps opening my eyes to the ways of English.

It was fitting that Ben was part Skywalker as he walked with his head in the clouds. He was also probably behaving like a thirteen-year old boy whose crush had kissed him on the cheek for the first time. Snoke would have said he was pathetic. Ben would have disagreed. He was lucky to have Rey (even though he didn’t actually _have _her).

His precious girl buzzed the door the moment he got the oven going, radiant as always with her messy bun, chunky sweater, and ripped jeans. She gave him a hug and the cookies she’d made specifically for him to try and Ben was fairly sure he’d died and gone to heaven. And then he promptly remembered that he was actually alive when Rey squealed, “Cherries!”

Ben chuckled. “Easy, Princess, we are going to make something out of them, so don’t eat everything at once.” 

She pouted. “You’re no fun.”

“I’m _loads_ of fun, Sweetheart,” he scoffed. “I just want you to wait for the actual dinner.”

“Well, yes, but they look so delicious.”

“Everything looks delicious to you,” Ben shook his head in amusement.

“Because it’s true,” Rey insisted.

“One day I’m going to find something you don’t like,” he teased.

“I’d like to see you try,” the minx smiled cheekily.

He couldn’t help but stare at her dimples. She was just too cute.

“What about a salad? Roast duck, cherry, watercress, and feta. Sound good?”

Rey looked at him like he hung the moon. “Yum!”

And what wouldn’t he give to keep her looking at him like that?

“We should start with the duck legs. Hand me that baking tray, please?” Ben arranged the meat on it. “We only have to season it with salt and pepper and put it in the oven.”

Rey frowned. “Sounds too easy. We won’t do anything fancy?”

“Hold that thought until we get to the dressing,” Ben chuckled. “For now we just need to cook the duck for about half an hour until the skin is crispy and the meat is tender.” He put the tray in the oven and smiled at her. “Cherries?”

Rey nodded enthusiastically. Ben was preparing to launch into an explanation when the doorbell rang again.

“You should probably answer,” she pointed out.

Ben reluctantly followed her orders. He regretted it the very second he opened the door and was met with the icy stare of his ‘beloved’ colleague.

“Hux,” he said coldly.

“Ren.”

“What do you want?” Ben couldn’t help but scowl.

The ginger rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You think you can just sneak out quickly and no one will notice?”

“The working hours are over, it’s a free country,” Ben scoffed.

“Are you kidding me? Kylo, I’m trying to look out for you here,” Hux narrowed his eyes. “You don’t want Snoke to start asking questions, trust me.”

“Yeah? And what are you trying to achieve? To get me back to the office?” Ben taunted, his annoyance rising. “It’s Friday night, we are allowed to go home. And why are _you_ here and not there?”

Hux groaned in frustration. “Look, I’m just trying to say…”

“Ben, are you OK?” called the melodic voice from the kitchen.

Both men jerked their heads, Hux’s face betraying his surprise.

“What..?”

“I’m fine,” Ben called back, more icily than he intended. Of course, Rey came out to check on him.

“Oh, hi,” she smiled at Hux.

The ginger’s eyes bulged as she approached Ben. “Wh-Who are you?”

“Who are _you_?” frowned Rey at his impolite demeanor.

“Hux is my colleague and _he is leaving,”_ gritted Ben, putting his arm protectively around her.

“No, I’m not,” the menace responded stubbornly. “Kylo, listen…”

“I’m Rey, Ben’s girlfriend,” the girl interjected to the utter astonishment of them both.

“Girlfriend?!” uttered Hux in shock, prompting a deeply stunned Ben to glare at him menacingly.

“Is there a problem?”

The ginger opened and closed his mouth. “He… You… Is that why you’ve been so distracted lately?” he finally asked.

Rey tensed under Ben’s hand. “Mr. Hux, being a bitter little pumpkin seed is _unbecoming_. We’ll have to do something to fix it.”

As both men gaped at her audacity, Rey wriggled out from under Ben’s arm, dashed toward the kitchen, and returned with a handful of cookies she forced into Hux’s frozen hand.

“Here you go,” she announced with satisfaction. “Have a nice evening, Ben will see you Monday.” And with that she closed the door right in his stunned face.

For several moments nothing happened. Ben was floored. To see his girl like that, in charge and protective of _him_ of all people… suffice it to say it would be enough to make him propose on the spot.

“Rey, that was…”

She flushed a deep shade of red. “I’m _so_ sorry, that was inappropriate. Please tell me I didn’t get you in trouble.”

Ben could easily lose himself in her wide pleading eyes, but his girl was distressed and he felt a pressing need to fix it. “No, Sweetheart, it’s fine,” he reassured her. “The look on his face when you told him you were my girlfriend…”

“I’m sorry, that was totally out of line,” she mumbled, hiding her face from him and Ben just couldn’t have that. He gently lifted her chin so that he could see her.

“Rey, it’s OK.”

“I didn’t embarrass you?” she asked in a small voice and Ben absolutely couldn’t wrap his head around what made her so insecure.

“What? Of course not.” There was not a single thing in the world Rey could do to embarrass him.

“But I… I don’t look like someone suitable to be your girlfriend, I’m,” she gestured toward herself, “_me_.”

“What are you talking about?” Ben asked in utter confusion. “You are the smartest, strongest, most beautiful woman I know, I would be _honored _to date you.”

“Really?” she asked incredulously.

_How could she doubt that?_

“Yes, Rey, you have no idea how mhphm--” Ben’s next words died as the smartest, strongest, most beautiful woman lunged at him and pressed her lips to his. The world stopped. He was frozen for an endless moment, uncomprehending a reality in which _Rey _was kissing _him. _ And then the switch flipped and Ben lost himself in the feeling of her lips on his, her lithe body in his arms, her taste, her smell, the small sounds she made, everything that was Rey. It was _glorious_. The heavens could open and he wouldn’t notice because this – this was _everything. _

Too soon for his liking, she broke what had been the best kiss of his life. Surely, it wasn’t the best-coordinated one as Ben was a bit out of practice and Rey was a touch hesitant (Inexperienced? No, she certainly couldn’t be), but he wished for it to go on and on. Ah, that pesky need for air.

Rey was looking at him, flushed and smiling, her lips kiss-swollen. Ben took particular pride in the knowledge that _he _did this to her.

“Hi,” she beamed.

“Hi,” he smiled back.

“That was…”

“Mmmhm.”

“And…”

“Mmm.”

“Can we try again?” his girl asked shyly.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please!” And then they were lost in each other and their perfect little world, interrupted only by a whimper, or a gentle caress, or an incessant beeping or… _Wait, what?_

“Oh my God!” Ben groaned, having realized that the timer went off.

“That’s our dinner!” Rey flew into panic mode.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” he reassured her, taking out perfectly cooked duck legs. Though, truth be told, he wouldn’t mind burning them if that gave him more time with her.

“It was a close call,” she huffed. “You know, if we want this to work, we need to set ground rules.”

“Oh?” Ben said, his brain still addled with endorphins.

“Yes. No making out in the kitchen,” Rey stated to his utter horror. _No, she couldn’t be that cruel, could she?_ “Seriously, don’t give me those puppy dog eyes. I won’t choose between you and my food.”

“But…”

“But,” she interjected firmly, “there are plenty of other places, like your couch, and your armchair, and your hallway…”

“Yeah?” Ben asked with goofy grin. “Wait, does this mean we are dating?”

Rey gave him a long questioning gaze. “Do you want to?”

“Yes! I mean, if _you_ want to,” he quickly added, feeling like an ass for pressing her. Just because _he_ wanted to date the hell out of her, didn’t mean _she _was up to it. It’s not like he was a catch or something.

His magnificent girl shook her head fondly. “God, you are such a dummy,” she sighed before catching his lips in a quick kiss.

“I thought you said no making out in the kitchen,” Ben mumbled dazedly.

“And I thought I asked _you_ not to make puppy dog eyes,” Rey smirked. “We _are_ dating, and you won’t get away from me easily.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Sweetheart,” Ben promised seriously.

Her smile faltered a bit. “I’ll probably be no good at it,” his girl admitted.

“Me neither.”

“I mean, I haven’t dated before, unlike you.” She looked at him, open and vulnerable. “You are my first boyfriend. My first everything actually.”

“Oh,” Ben said dumbly, his chest full of a weird mix of male pride and fierce protectiveness. “Sweetheart, _nothing_ has been like this. You are special to me, you know that, right?” he asked her gently. “I promise I’ll do my best.”

“Of course you will. That’s just the way you are,” Rey smiled fondly. “You can start with our dinner,” she winked.

Ben laughed. “Anything for you. Actually we would have needed to pit the cherries, but since these ones came that way, we just add them with watercress and crumble in feta.”

“Easy-peasy,” she grinned, consulting Padme’s textbook. Her cute nose scrunched in shock. “Ben, are you aware that this recipe requires _extra virgin plum seed oil_?!”

“Yes. I have it. Besides, you can substitute it.”

“With olive oil and a few drops of _almond essence_?!” Rey asked in mock-outrage. “Aren’t you fancy, Mr. McFancypants?”

“You like me anyway,” Ben chuckled.

“Guilty as charged,” Rey grinned. “Oh, by the way, why did Hugs call you Kylo?” she asked while mixing the vinaigrette.

“That’s my work alias,” he answered, enjoying Hux’s new nickname.

“You have a really weird job, don’t you?”

“I guess. Is that a problem?” Ben asked with worry.

Rey shook her head. “Nope.” For the hundredth time she made him wonder what he’d done to deserve her in his life. Rey was goodness incarnate and he… Well, he’d be the best boyfriend in the world as long as she would have him.

Finally, they shredded the duck meat and mixed it with the rest of the ingredients to finish their meal. And if Ben stole a couple of kisses… Well, who could blame him? He’d just gotten the privilege to call this magnificent creature his girlfriend. Later, as they cuddled together on his couch enjoying a silly movie and each other’s nearness, he asked, “Would you like to see me tomorrow?”

“You’re not tired of me yet?” Rey teased him.

“Never, Sweetheart,” he promised her with a kiss to the crown of her head.

“It’s a date then,” she beamed.

Ben grinned like a fool. He hadn’t been on a date for a very, very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you want to send Hux a card? What about a fruit basked?


	9. Venison Dopiaza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben just can't have a minute alone with his girlfriend, can he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the amount of love and kind words this story gets! You all are amazing💕💕💕💕  
A shout-out to my sweet supportive beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

There’s one thing lawyers and students have in common– they both have homework. As much as Ben wanted to spend every single second with his amazing and incredible _girlfriend, _he had work to do. And so, unfortunately, did Rey. Even with his lovesick head in the clouds he would never endanger her education.

Ben wanted to give her the most perfect first date in the history of mankind, but, as his sweet girl pointed out, they both were busy, the dinners they were doing totally counted as dates, and she loved the intimacy of home much better than any fancy restaurant where she would feel out of place. That settled it. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to impress her, though. God bless delivery services, because Ben most certainly didn’t have venison neck fillet lying around. 

He’d just started preparing the spices when the doorbell rang. Huh, Rey was early.

The smile promptly left his face when instead of the heavenly visage of his girlfriend he was met with a smirking Phasma.

“What are you doing here?” he snapped, annoyed that they couldn’t leave him alone even on the weekends. His colleague grinned.

“Is that a proper way to greet your friends, Kylo?” she asked, pushing past him. He gaped at her.

“I’m busy.”

“I can see that,” Phasma hummed, making herself comfortable in his kitchen. “Hot date?”

“None of your business,” Ben snapped. “How do you even..?”

“A little bird told me you had company last night,” she said smugly.

“Fucking Hux!”

“Oh, Armitage couldn’t stop singing the praises of your little girlfriend and her magical cookies,” Phasma said nonchalantly. “I want the recipe.”

Ben shook his head incredulously. “You came all the way here to ask me for a recipe?!”

“Well, that and to take a look at your paramour.”

As if on a cue they heard the door open.

“Ben, you forgot to lock,” Rey called from the hall.

“And here is the Beauty to our Beast,” Phasma sing-songed.

Ben paled. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest move to let your new girlfriend catch you alone with a leggy blonde (and technically his colleague was both, not that he cared). He expected the worst.

He certainly did not expect his sweet girlfriend to become _territorial_. Rey walked in, took a second to assess the situation and, like a true scavenger, staked her claim. She wrapped her arms around his neck tugging him down for a very thorough kiss which left Ben completely dazed. After, she turned to Phasma with the sweetest smile.

“Hi, I’m Ben’s girlfriend, Rey.”

The blonde grinned. “Hello, Rey. I’m Ben’s colleague, Gwen. I’ve heard so much about you.”

His precious girl looked at him in confusion. “Oh?”

“Oh yes, from Armitage,” supplied Phasma with pleasant smile.

“Hux,” muttered Ben. Rey blushed.

“Um…”

“Only nice things, don’t worry. He is quite a fan of you and your cookies,” Gwen smiled.

“He is?” Rey asked dubiously.

“Absolutely. I wanted to ask you for the recipe.”

“And you’ll get it in your email,” Ben interjected. “Now I think you have some other place to be.”

Phasma made a show of checking her watch. “I most certainly do. Off I go.” She gracefully headed to the door before turning abruptly. “You kids are cute together. Cute as noodles. Lucky boy.” She had the audacity to wink at Ben and then she disappeared in a whirlwind of brand name clothes and expensive perfume.

“Cute,” Rey mumbled faintly. “Ben, your coworkers are…”

“Yes, they are,” he agreed. “Doesn’t matter, it's you I care about.”

His girl immediately melted into him. “You are too sweet.”

“Only for you,” Ben promised, kissing her hair. “Come on, I want to feed my girlfriend.”

“Careful with your words or I will never leave,” she teased. He had to bite his tongue not to admit that he wanted nothing else. To console the possessive part of him he sneaked another kiss before guiding her back into the kitchen.

“I hope you like venison.”

Rey gaped at him. “Ben, you didn’t have to.”

“But I did. That’s my duty to please my amazing and extraordinary girlfriend,” he proclaimed. At that she flushed prettily and planted a thorough kiss on his lips.

“What do I do?” Rey asked with a smile. “I want to help.”

Ben guided her to the table, wrapping arms around her and nuzzling her hair. “We need to toast the spices, you can start with measuring.” _Ah, what a pity that Rey banned making out in the kitchen._

When the fragrant mix of cumin, coriander, and peppercorns was left to cool Ben, placed a pestle and mortar on the table. “These,” he pointed out, “are cardamom pods. We need to get the seeds out and crush them with the rest of the spices and a good pinch of sea salt.”

Rey scrunched her nose as she put her hands on the pestle and mortar. “It’s heavy.”

“It’s real stone,” Ben explained. “Careful, I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“So protective,” she teased, pressing her slight body into his side. He couldn’t help but agree with her assessment.

“Ginger or garlic?” Ben asked, transferring the mix into a larger bowl.

“What?”

“We have to peel and grate the garlic and ginger,” he smiled at her confused expression. God, she was cute.

“Oh, ginger. By the way, where did you get the venison?” Rey inquired. “I didn’t take you for a hunter.”

“Oh Sweetheart, you have no idea what they sell nowadays in the shops,” Ben chuckled. “Can you add four full spoons of this natural yoghurt in there and mix it? I’ll start with the meat.”

While he cut the venison Rey started humming some pop song, all the while looking perfectly at home in his kitchen, filling his head with all sorts of ideas. Ben couldn’t believe his luck. To have this ethereal fairy in his home and to be able to call her his…. Perhaps he did inherit some Solo luck after all.

“What now?” she asked, looking satisfied with her work.

“Now,” Ben answered leaning to kiss her temple, “we coat the meat with this and leave it to marinate.” He handed her onions. “Peel and slice them finely.”

“Why do I have six and you only three?” Rey pouted.

“Because while you’ll be slicing yours, I’m going to chop mine roughly and move to chilies. Efficient task distribution, Sweetheart,” Ben smirked.

“Don’t be so smug,” she demanded, lightly jabbing him in the chest. He was treated with a look of pure surprise on her pretty face when his girl encountered firm resistance. Yes, he worked out religiously and yes, he had every single right to feel as smug as he wished, thank you very much.

Ben dropped butter in a pan before adding his roughly chopped onions with seasoning to cook until they softened. Setting it aside he added more butter, the chili, and the remaining onions to cook. “Rey, could you give me a hand with the venison?” he called.

“Sure, what do you want me to do?”

“Add the meat with all the marinade while I stir?” The kitchen immediately filled with delicious fragrances. While Ben fried the meat on the high heat, his beautiful girl chopped and added ripe tomatoes. He stirred everything, reduced the heat to low and covered the pan. “It will take a while now. Let me make sandwiches while you turn on the TV.” 

Rey beamed at him. “You are the best!”

Ben felt all warm and fuzzy receiving her brilliant smiles. Perhaps this was not how he imagined their first date: cuddling on the couch with a bunch of healthy snacks (nuts, grapes and cheese to name a few), with Rey catching up on her favorite series and him simply enjoying her presence. Didn’t mean it make it any less perfect. Occasionally Ben got up to stir the dopiaza. Occasionally he stole kisses from Rey. Occasionally she nuzzled into his side like an affectionate cat all the while supplying him with the names of the characters and their personal histories. It was definitely Ben’s personal kind of bliss.

When the time came, he stirred the remaining onions into the pot and took the lid off. He finished the dopiaza by adding coriander leaves and served the dish with steamed rice. Of course Rey liked it.

“Just admit that you are unable to make something _not _delicious,” she winked.

He would agree with anything his girl said. His adoration for her knew no bounds.

“It’s better than any fancy restaurant.”

“You haven’t tried any yet,” Ben huffed. “One of these days I’ll take you out on a proper date.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “This _is_ a proper date. God, you are such a dummy. But you are _my _dummy,” she announced before kissing him firmly on the lips. If he wasn’t completely blissed out he would agree with his gorgeous girlfriend. It didn’t matter who he was as long as he was hers.


	10. Penne with Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Pumpkin Sauce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's still Halloween somewhere, right? No? Well, it's still Halloween in my fic 😊

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos, you all are magical human beings! More thanks to my equally magical beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

“Remind me once again why it is _you_ requested something with pumpkin, _you_ wanted to learn, and _I _ended up cooking while _you_ do,” Ben stole a glance at his incredibly attractive, very distracting girlfriend while pre-heating his oven, “whatever it is you’re doing.”

Rey stopped scrunching her nose in concentration and gave him a side-eye instead. 

“Because you had zero idea what holiday we’re celebrating,” she waved a pumpkin-shaped tag at him, his table piled with small glittery mesh bags full of sweet treats, “you didn't even remember to buy_ candy _ until I reminded you, so _I_, as the responsible adult in this situation, am fixing it.” His sweet girl grinned wickedly. “I’ll show you the ways of Halloween, Ben.”

“I’m kinda already aware,” he grumbled. Halloween had never been his favorite growing up; no one had been there to take him Trick-or-Treating and later he hadn’t been a popular kid who got invited to the parties. It was just another day to remind him how alone he was. Well, not anymore.

“You don’t have a single decoration in your apartment,” Rey shook her head disapprovingly. “What did you do all the previous years?”

“Worked,” Ben deadpanned, his hands occupied with soaking porcini mushrooms.

She gave him a look of both compassion and apprehension. “You do know that’s not healthy?” 

He shrugged. “It pays the bills.”

“Lots of things pay the bills, not all of them make you forget that you have a life,” Rey pointed out.

“I have a life,” Ben scoffed, planting an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Her concern warmed his heart. When was the last time someone really cared about him?

“Because I’m making sure of it,” Rey shook her head disapprovingly, though it didn’t stop her from nuzzling into his chest. “Don’t worry, you won’t lose your holiday spirit, not on my watch.”

“Wouldn’t even dream of it,” he chuckled as his girl beamed at him. Ben fished the rehydrated mushrooms out of the water and started chopping them while Rey hummed some happy tune,sorting through candy. She hadn’t just _reminded_ him to replenish his stack of sweet treats, she’d personally accompanied him to the shop. And shopping with Rey for candy was a whole different kind of experience. Suffice to say that they came back with the equivalent of her own weight in chocolate. Actually, taking into consideration Rey’s sugar consumption, she should be named a scientific miracle as no one can stay fit eating like that. His girl would never cease to amaze him.

“Looks tasty,” Rey admitted, admiring the sausage Ben transferred into a skillet. 

“Why wouldn’t they, Sweetheart? You said yourself that everything I do is delicious,” he teased her.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” she scoffed.

“Depends. Want to join me? I just need to cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink in the center.”

“Maybe later,” Rey answered as his doorbell rang. “Duty calls.” She adjusted a witch hat on her head, grabbed the candy, and left to answer the door, leaving Ben to shake his head fondly.

“Tlick ol Tleat!” he heard.

“Aww, a real Spiderman! I love your costume,” Rey cooed over a kid. She was so good with new people, old or young, something Ben had never figured out how to do.

“What are you supposed to say to the nice lady?” prompted a mother’s voice. 

“Thank you!”

“I’m Kare and this is Toby,” chirped the other woman.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Rey.”

“It’s so good to see this apartment occupied by such a sweet girl,” Kare lowered her voice, but not enough for Ben to not hear her. “Last year such a grumpy cat lived here, you have noidea. He didn’t even know it was Halloween,” the woman said in appalled tone.

“Grumpy cat is still here,” he loudly grumbled from the kitchen. 

There was a gasp and shuffling.

“Oh, um, we’ve got to go. Thanks, bye!” the woman said hastily and then the door closed.

Rey came back wearing a look of disapproval, though her eyes glittered with amusement. “Ben, play nicely,” she chastised him, lightly swatting his arm with her witch hat. 

“I am nice,” he protested while cutting the sausages on a diagonal. “She called me _names_. My feelings are hurt,” he pouted.

“Oh, really?” asked his girlfriend, wrapping her arms around his middle. “And what can I do to make you feel better?”

“Kiss my bruised ego?” Ben suggested innocently, earning himself a snort and a peck to the chin.

“You’ll be the death of me,” Rey muttered under her breath.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around,” he quipped. “Now be a sweetheart and give me a hand.”

“Poor baby,” Rey teased. “What do you need?”

“Chop this onion for me? Pretty please?” It seemed his skills with puppy dog eyes still worked since his girl sighed and got to work. Ben dropped butter into the skillet to melt, minced garlic, and added it with onion into the skillet to cook. When the onions became translucent, he stirred in sage and nutmeg, then transferred the mixture to a bowl. 

“Smells nice,” his girlfriend commented.

“And it’s only half-done. Could you add the chopped mushrooms and sausage? I need to measure pumpkin puree.”

“Finally,” Rey mumbled. “I was afraid you forgot about it.”

“As if,” Ben scoffed. “I promised you a seasonal recipe, didn’t I?” He mixed the water from the mushrooms, pumpkin puree, shredded Gruyere cheese, heavy cream, salt, and pepper into the bowl to make a sauce. 

“My hero,” she grinned at him. “Let me start with the pasta then.” When it was sufficiently cooked, they mixed in the pumpkin sauce, transferred it into a pan, topped it with Parmesan cheese, and put into the oven under a foil cover.

“Now it has to be baked until bubbly,” Ben announced, putting the pan into the oven.

“I wonder what should we do in the meantime?” Rey asked coyly, wrapping her hands around him from behind and nuzzling his back.

“Whatever you want, Sweetheart,” he immediately replied, hoping for a kiss. Ben should have known better. His precious girl smiled wickedly, put her witch hat on his head and made him serve candy to the next poor souls that came knocking on his door. He couldn’t find it in himself to be even a little annoyed by it. 

Later, when the food was served and the plates were cleaned, when the stash of sweet treats was significantly diminished and they found themselves cuddling on the couch and watching Corpse Bride, Rey sighed contentedly, “Best Halloween ever.”

Ben frowned at her, befuddled. “Are you sure about that?”

“Mmm?” she blinked confusedly.

“You didn’t want to hang out with your friends? To have fun at some party instead of being stuck here with me?” he asked dubiously. Rey was a young and active woman, surely she could have plans for the night that included actual fun.

“Oh, yes, a party full of loud music, drunk frat boys, and a meagre excuse for costumes, such a loss,” she snorted while rolling her eyes. “How can I handle being stuck with my gorgeous caring boyfriend who feeds me the yummiest things ever? Not to mention all the chocolate,” Rey added offhandedly with a cheeky smile.

“Ah, that’s where your allegiances lie,” Ben mockingly accused her, feeling relieved that he didn’t spoil her favorite holiday.

“You caught me,” the minx grinned. 

“I certainly did. What should I do with you for that, hmm?” he leaned closer.

“I have a suggestion or two,” Rey winked before closing the distance between them and kissing him soundly.


	11. Epic Rib-Eye Steak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben just can't not have guests when he cooks for Rey, can he? At least this one is cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the comments and kudos this little story gets, you all are wonderful! A shout-out to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Ben pressed the phone to his ear, longing to hear the familiar voice. “Hi, Sweetheart. Are you coming tonight?”

“Um, maybe a raincheck?” his sweet girl asked uncertainly.

His heart dropped.

“Did something happen?” Ben hoped he sounded less disappointed than he felt. Rey didn’t owe him every single second of her free time.

“Poe left for a work trip and Finn left with Rose to visit her family,” she explained.

“And?” he asked, confused.

“I’m babysitting BB. Or rather dogsitting.” Somewhere in the background he heard the dog yapping.

“Oh. So you don’t want to come,” Ben understood.

“I do, I _really_ do,” Rey reassured him sadly. “I just don’t want to leave BB alone.”

“I see.” Suddenly an idea occurred to him. “Why don’t you both come here?”

“To your place? Is that OK?” she sounded genuinely surprised.

“I don’t see why not.”

“But your apartment… Are you even allowed to have pets?” Rey wondered.

“I think so.” Actually, Ben had no idea about that, but considering his rent he was probably allowed to own _a zoo_.

“I just…” she hesitated. “He’s a dog, he can chew on things, I don’t want him to ruin something important.”

_Expensive _hung in the air. He mentally scoffed at it. His time with Rey was far more precious than his furniture or shoes. Things were replaceable, _she_ was not.

“Don’t worry about that. Things are just things,” he reassured her.

“Ben…”

“I miss you,” he confessed softly.

“I miss you, too,” Rey whispered.

“You are both welcome to join me.”

Her hesitation was palpable. “OK,” she breethed out.

He sighed in relief.

Twenty minutes later he opened his door to see Rey with a hyperactive Jack Russell on the leash.

“Ben, meet BB. BB, meet Ben,” she beamed, leaning in to receive her greeting kiss.

The dog yapped and pawed his legs. Ben chuckled.

“Easy, buddy.” He leaned closer to give the beast a scratch. Despite not really being into pets, Ben had to admit that the friendly little white-and-orange dog was really cute.

“Who’s a good boy?” Rey cooed. “You are. You are such a good boy, aren’t you?” She smiled at Ben. “Thanks for having us.”

“Always,” he rasped, hoping she didn’t notice his visceral reaction to her praising. What wouldn’t he give to switch places with the dog. On second thought, that was low even for him.

“BB, sit,” she commanded. The pet obeyed. “Good boy. Is it OK if he plays a little?” Rey showed a molecule-shaped dog toy.

Ben shrugged. “Sure.”

“I can help you cook,” she offered, squinting at the ingredients on the table, “Whatever we are making.”

“Rib-eye steak,” he supplied. “Have you ever tried it?” Rey shook her head. “You’ll like it.”

His girl snorted. “Obviously.”

“So, the key to the steak is the meat.”

“Thanks, Cap,” she giggled.

Ben rolled his eyes playfully.

“I mean it. The perfect rib-eye steak is obviously rib-eye, ideally 5 centimeters thick and with the fat removed.”

“Sometimes I think you would make a mighty good accountant,” Rey hummed, looking over the recipe.

“Not as fancy as a lawyer,” Ben pointed out.

“I would like you anyway,” she admitted, giving him a peck on a cheek.

What did he do to deserve her? Surely, making her dinners wasn’t enough.

“I would like you more,” Ben insisted.

“Debatable. You were saying..?”

“Everything is pretty straightforward. I prefer to use a non-stick frying pan.” He put the utensil on medium-high heat. “We just have to rub the steak all over with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper before searing it on all sides.”

Rey frowned. “Can’t you just cook it the normal way?”

“But then you won’t get this pretty color everywhere, besides, it allows it to stay medium rare in the middle.” Ben looked at her with worry. “Is medium rare OK?”

“Of course it is,” she scoffed. “I eat anything.”

“And I want you to have the best.”

Rey melted at his candid expression. “You are too sweet. I’m going to keep you,” she informed him seriously, wrapping her arms around his middle. 

“Please do. Though maybe not this second, I need to turn the steak,” Ben amended.

Rey let go of him reluctantly so that he could show her how to turn the meat with tongs to make the color even.

“Actually, can you strip the rosemary leaves off the sprigs?” he asked.

“That’s it?”

“Are you bored, Sweetheart?” He laughed as she stuck out her tongue. “If you are, you can also peel and slice the garlic.”

“Why am I always the one doing the garlic?” Rey complained.

“Well, if that’s a problem, you can always grab that packet of mushrooms over there and tear up any larger ones. Right, BB?” The dog yapped.

“Fine, traitor,” she grumbled, waving a warning finger at the dog.

When the steak was done, Ben put it on a plate under tin foil, turned the pan down to medium heat, and quickly crisped up the rosemary leaves Rey so graciously prepared before. Then he added mushrooms and the garlic and cooked them, tossing often, until they became golden. “Sweetheart, could you please open that jar of beans?” Ben called.

“Only if you ask nicely,” the minx smiled cheekily.

“I wonder what I should do?” he murmured before abruptly leaning in and stealing a kiss. Rey yelped and swatted him away, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Nevertheless, the payment seemed to suffice since she poured the contents of the jar into the pan. Ben added a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and simmered the mass for five more minutes, then added seasonings. He proudly sat the steak on top, then transferred the whole pan to the table where he sliced and served, adding a few drops of olive oil to the top.

“Now _this _looks yummy,” his girl commented, grabbing her fork.

The meal smelled divine. It tasted even better, prompting Rey to let out a completely inappropriate moan which made Ben choke on his food. He pretended not to notice how she discreetly fed tasty morsels to BB, and just added more to her plate. If she wanted to spoil the dog beyond all limits, who was he to stop her? Besides, BB was too cute to get diet restrictions.

Later, the two of them curled up together on the couch, Rey’s head resting comfortably on Ben’s shoulder and the dog sleeping at their feet. He wrapped a blanket around them and soon they both drifted off to the lulling sounds of the TV. Ben woke up in the middle of the night, oddly warm and comfortable. The reason for that slept soundly in his arms, sweet and peaceful. For a moment Ben simply admired her, wondering how he managed to get such a lovely creature. He brushed the hair from her forehead and dropped a chaste kiss there. It was too late to wake her up, so Ben decided to let her sleep in peace. Poor girl worked so hard, she needed all the rest she could get. He gently scooped her up and transferred to his own bed, worried that she would wake up with a cramped neck. BB followed them like a dutiful guardian, settling in at the foot of the bed. Ben smiled at the dog, dropped another kiss on Rey’s forehead, turned the lights off, and returned to the couch. He went to sleep with a smile on his lips – he had a breakfast to look forward to.


	12. Strawberry and Cream Sandwich Sponge Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Rey manage to introduce Ben to her friends? That's the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my wonderfully attentive beta!

Lunch break was a blessing. Ben finally had time to check his phone while demolishing his salad. He was surprised to see several messages from Rey asking when he was available. What did his sweet girl need? He was ready to deliver. As soon as he wrote her back that he was on a break, she dialled him.

“Purely hypothetically, do you know anything about cakes?” Rey asked in no-nonsense tone.

Ben was puzzled. “A thing or two. Why?”

“So, Finn proposed to Rose,” his girl said slowly. “And she said yes.”

“Oh.” He thought about the intricate relationships her friends pursued. “Is Poe OK?”

“Yes, he’s very supportive. He just doesn’t do commitments. It’s sweet of you to ask,” Rey said with a smile in her voice. “Anyway, they want to have a little party just for friends and they kinda, sorta asked me to make a cake, since I, you know, am your apprentice of a sort, and I’ve only ever done cookies, so...”

“I thought you were my girlfriend,” Ben frowned.

She giggled.

“I am, dummy, those are not mutually exclusive things.”

“Oh.”

“So?” Rey asked impatiently.

“Oh, yes, sorry. Does Saturday work for you? We’ll figure something out.”

“That’s great, the party is on Sunday. You are the best, you know that?” Her smile was almost palpable.

“Not as good as you are.”

Beside him Hux scoffed. “Ren, cut down on your flirting.”

“Oh, shut up,” Phasma chastised him. Mitaka wisely kept his silence.

“Is that Mr. little bitter pumpkin seed?” Rey asked with a laugh.

“The one and only. Well, duty calls, Sweetheart. I’ll see you?” he asked hopefully.

“You can count on it.”

Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. Ben did a little rummaging through Padme’s cookbook and came up victorious with the perfect recipe for the occasion.

“I hope your friends like strawberry?” he asked.

“Have I told you that you are too good for this world?” Rey asked.

“Hm, I can’t remember. You sure you weren’t talking to your food, Sweetheart?” Ben teased.

His girlfriend pinched him.

“That was _mean_.”

“Strawberry and cream sandwich sponge cake.”

“You are a gift to humanity and must be protected at all cost,” Rey immediately chirped.

“Much better.” Ben leaned in to steal a kiss. “Now the secret to a sponge cake is,” he made a dramatic pause, “to have_ this_.” He nodded toward his food processor.

His girl scoffed. “And here I thought it’s about some magical sugar-to-eggs ratio or something.”

“No, Sweetheart, it’s about properly beaten eggs. And trust me, you don’t want to do it by hand. It’s doable, but not, you know, fun.”

“Whatever you say, Master,” she winked playfully, making Ben choke. Little minx knew exactly what she was doing.

“Anyway,” Ben rasped, his voice sounding lower suddenly, “we need to mix the butter and the sugar together until pale and fluffy. I’ve already let the butter warm up, now help me cut it into cubes.”

“Yes, Sir!” Rey pretended she didn’t hear him curse. “Now what?” she asked as the mass turned into a smooth cream.

“Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract.” In the meantime, he broke four eggs into a bowl. “Mix this gradually into the butter, Sweetheart; I’ll prepare the flour.”

Rey started humming a song and swinging her hips a little while the food processor did the work. Ben chuckled at the sight. His girl seemed so young and carefree, unlike him. He still wasn’t over the fact that Rey genuinely wanted to be with his older moody ass. Apparently, the wonders hadn’t ceased yet.

He sifted flour with baking powder and a pinch of salt to make it ready. “Look, I’ll fold it in very carefully to keep the batter light and fluffy. You don’t want to overmix. The sponge cake is called sponge for a reason, you need to keep as much air in the batter as possible.”

“And I thought it was fluffy because of the acid-base reaction when the baking powder releases CO2 gas into the batter. What?” she grinned at Ben’s dumbstruck expression. “I’m an Engineering student, I did chemistry, too.”

“You are awesome,” was all he could utter.

Rey giggled.

“Am I now? Admit it, you are into nerds.”

“_I’m_ a nerd,” he supplied quickly. “And I’m into you.”

“Right answer,” she hummed contentedly.

Ben added a splash of milk to loosen the batter, then divided it between the two pre-greased baking forms. Luckily for them, his oven could fit two at the same time. “OK, now we need to bake them for around twenty-five minutes, then let them cool down to start on filling. Oh, and you must know that I’m no good at decorating, so it’s going to be rather ‘artistic’,” he warned.

Rey lifted her eyebrows in mock-surprise.

“There is something you are not good at?”

“No one is perfect, Sweetheart,” Ben chuckled.

“Well, I think they’ll forgive us.”

“Us?” he blinked.

Rey frowned. “Ben, you do know you are coming with me?”

“I do?”

“You do,” she confirmed. “As my boyfriend.”

He was overwhelmed. On one hand, he wanted nothing else than to let the world know that he was hers, on the other, he was nervous about her friends’ reaction. “But Rey, it’s a day for their near and dear ones.”

“Right,” she nodded, “like me, and you are important to _me_. Besides, they are dying to meet you.”

Ben really, genuinely wanted to be happy about it, but he knew how often he didn’t meet people’s expectations. “What if they hate me?”

“Why would they do that?” Rey asked, bewildered.

God, she was so innocent and naïve.

“I’m,” he pointed out at himself, “_me_.”

She stared at him dumbly. “And?”

“I’m ten years older, it looks like I’m taking advantage...”

“And I’m not?” Rey interjected sharply. “You are older, sophisticated, with a fancy job, while I’m a broke student…”

“Don’t say that, you’re so much more,” Ben cut in.

“So are you,” his girl pointed out stubbornly.

“What about my morally challenged job?”

“People do all sorts of things for a living.”

“Not to mention my looks.”

“Huh?” she blinked.

“My face?” he gestured desperately.

“Very handsome.”

“Rey, not funny.”

“I like your face,” she stubbornly repeated, refusing to see the problem. “What about mine? Freckles and all? How about my silly hairstyle? My lack of curves?”

Ben was baffled. He privately liked to think that his girlfriend was a goddess incarnate with her delicate figure, beautiful features, and adorably freckled skin. “You are perfect,” he said sincerely. “And I love your freckles.”

“Well, I love your face,” Rey said with an edge of challenge.

“But my nose? My lips? My _ears_?” he voiced his worst issues aloud.

“I love your nose, very regal,” she reiterated.

“Well, I love your buns.”

“I love your lips,” she smiled.

“I love your figure,” Ben confessed, allowing his hands to settle on her waist.

“I love your ears,” she grinned wickedly.

“I love you.” The words slipped through his lips with such ease he didn’t even realise it at first. It was Rey’s shocked expression that snapped him out of it.

“Did you mean that?” she whispered.

Ben froze. Rey looked at him with wide hazel eyes full of worry, apprehension, and… hope? He couldn’t, wouldn’t lie to her.

“I… Yes, yes, I did. I do. I’m sorry, I know it’s too soon, I…”

“I love you, too.”

Ben gaped at her. She was beaming with barely contained happiness and was she even real? Why wasn’t she running for the hills, screaming? How could he be so lucky to be loved back?

“You do?” Ben asked in awe.

“With all my heart. Ears and all,” Rey smiled and it was too much not to kiss her.

So he did. Very thoroughly.

“Perfect,” Ben whispered when they parted, his thumbs caressing her cheeks.

“So are you,” she replied, kissing his palm. He was sure he’d died and gone to heaven. It was too good to be true, and yet somehow it was real.

After this revelation, finishing cooking was no big deal. They left the cakes to cool on a wire rack, using the extra time to grab a snack, steal more kisses, and whisper sweet confessions to each other. With the cakes sufficiently cool, Rey poured the rich cream into a bowl, into which Ben scraped the vanilla seeds.

“Now we just have to whisk it until soft peaks,” Ben explained. Then he showed her what exactly soft peaks meant.

Rey sifted in icing sugar and folded it through and the filling was done. Ben placed one of the cakes on the plate to let her spread the fragrant cream over.

“But not too close to the edges, Sweetheart, or it will spill later.”

“We don’t want that,” she smiled, licking the spatula clean.

“No, we don’t,” Ben agreed distractedly, his eyes locked on her movements.

“And the strawberry?”

“Just slice it and scatter on top.” They covered the whole construction with another cake. “Now all you have to do is to dust it with icing sugar and decorate with extra strawberries, but it’s better to do that right before the serving. You need it for tomorrow, right?”

“Yep.”

“Then I’ll give you the strawberries in a separate container.”

Rey frowned at him. “We are going together, remember?”

He kissed her forehead. “I do. It’s just a precaution.”

“I don’t need precautions, I need you,” she grumbled. “And the cake.”

“How could I forget?”

That night Ben walked her home, extra strawberries and all. They managed to squeeze the cake into her tiny fridge and then Rey kissed him senseless against the door. His girl was _very _assertive.

Turned out that he was right to take precautions. Early in the morning he was woken up by a call from a frantic Snoke. Certain wealthy bigwig Canto Bight patrons had sued certain wealthy bigwig Canto Bight owners for selling their personal information. The owners claimed that they had been hacked. A new court battle was to begin. Ben and his colleagues were dragged right into it to represent one of the parties, making him miss the engagement celebration. At least the cake was deeply appreciated, according to Rey.

“Don’t worry, you’ll meet them eventually, and when you do, they’ll love you,” she promised him during one of their phone calls. “But not as much as I do.”

“Love you more, Sweetheart. We’ll make it work,” he promised back. Ben might have been a disappointment to his parents, uncle, and mentor, but he was determined to never, ever let Rey down. And this promise he would keep.


	13. One-tray Bake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finally gets her favorite people in the world in one room and it goes exactly as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love this story got and a special thank you to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

“Ben, if you think any harder, I’ll see smoke coming out of your ears,” Rey teased.

He flushed.

“Sorry, I just want it to be perfect.” After Ben failed to show at Finn and Rose’s engagement party, his sweet girl suggested inviting her friends to dinner so that they would finally have a chance to get to know each other. He was perfectly aware that it was basically a “meet the parents” dinner and he wanted it to go off without a hitch. Rey deserved only the best.

“Baby, we are going to be fine, calm down,” his girlfriend wrapped her arms around him. “You said yourself that you can’t go wrong with this bake.”

“I did. My grandmother knew what she was doing.”

“And so do you.”

Ben kissed the top of Rey’s head. How did she always know the right thing to say? The bake indeed was very simple; they only needed a big enough tray in which to place chicken thighs, tomatoes, basil leaves, garlic cloves, and olives, tear up one small ciabatta over it, generously drizzle it all with oil, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Ben tossed the mix properly and smiled at Rey.

“Sweetheart, help me move the chicken back on top.” After they rearranged the ingredients, he put it into the oven to bake.

“See? Easy-peasy,” his girl teased him. “No need to worry.”

As if the meal were his biggest problem.

Half an hour later, Ben turned the chicken and left it for another half hour. “Let’s whip up a salad, shall we?”

“Yes, sir!” Rey winked.

Together they chopped nice crisp greenery for the salad, then Ben draped smoked bacon over the chicken for another fifteen minutes, and the meal was done. Now they only needed to wait for their guests. Ben wasn’t worried. Not at all. Not even a little bit. He was only nervously chewing on his nail because he was bored. Or hungry. Or both.

The meeting wasn’t how Ben had imagined it at all. From Rey’s photos, he could tell that the dark-skinned man with kind eyes was Finn and the bubbly Asian girl was Rose. It was the other man, curly-haired and olive-skinned, that sparked some odd recognition. It wasn’t until they sat together around the table that they both understood why.

“So how come you didn’t realise that Rey’s hothead pilot friend Poe and your hothead childhood friend Poe are one and the same?” Rose asked with genuine interest.

Ben shrugged. “Frankly, no idea. There can only be so many Poes out there.”

The man in question scoffed. “I prefer to think that I’m the one and only.”

“As if we don’t know,” Finn snorted quietly.

“So, Ben,” Poe drawled, making him tense. Considering the man’s connection to Leia Organa, this was a disaster in the making. “I see you’ve grown into your ears.”

“Hope so,” Ben responded carefully.

Poe grinned wickedly.

“Tell me, Rey, is he _proportionate_ all over?” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Several things happened at once. Ben, caught completely off guard, choked on his food. Rey, who had unfortunately decided to sip her water, started coughing violently. Finn, who was sitting at Poe’s right side, kicked the man under the table. Rose, who was sitting at Poe’s left, elbowed him. Suddenly the odd placement of the newly engaged couple made so much more sense.

“Ow!” Poe yelped.

“Please forgive him,” Finn interjected.

“We usually don’t allow him to interact with _unprepared_ people,” Rose said guiltily.

“‘s fine,” Ben croaked when he managed to regain his ability to speak. He silently thanked his lucky stars that his shirt covered the marks Rey had left on his collarbone the day before. The girl loved nothing better than to stake her claim, not that he minded.

“What? I’m curious,” whined the offender.

“Poe Dameron, one more word and you are a dead man,” Rose threatened, making him shrink.

“Don’t you dare embarrass Peanut in front of her crush. Our baby girl has finally grown up,” her fiancé added.

“Thanks, Finn,” Rey deadpanned. “Not embarrassed at all.”

“Hey, we are just excited for you. Ben seems like a nice guy.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled. The interaction between the friends fascinated him. He himself had never had this type of relationship before. Sure, he could share inside jokes with Phasma and Hux, but those were few and far between, nothing like the easy familiarity between Rey and the guys.

“Just for the record,” Rose smiled sweetly, “if you hurt her, I’ll personally dismember you with a teaspoon. Are we clear?”

Ben choked on his food for the second time. “Crystal.”

“Great! By the way, the cake was wonderful. Where did you learn to cook?” the girl asked.

“By myself.”

“Ben has a cookbook he inherited from his grandmother,” Rey supplied.

“Breha or Padme?” quipped Poe.

“Padme.”

“You know his family?” Finn asked, intrigued.

“Our mothers go way back,” the man grinned. Ben winced. Of course, it was coming. “Hey, man, I’m sure Leia would love it if you gave her a call.”

All eyes locked on Ben. Rey squeezed his hand under the table in support. “I… I’ll think about it.”

“Cool,” Poe smiled. “You know, her door is always open.” Then he picked up his fork and resumed eating.

Ben was shocked. Poe Dameron, a busybody and a justice warrior, hadn’t called him out on his family relationships. The man hadn’t tried to guilt-trip him into calling Leia. Neither Finn nor Rose stared at him judgementally. The blow he was so afraid of never came. Rey kept squeezing his hand. Ben couldn’t remember the last time he was treated this way. Not only did these people support his precious girl through high and low, they extended their kindness toward him. He was floored.

“The food is wonderful,” interjected Finn. “Can I have the recipe please?”

“Sure, I’ll make you a copy,” Ben smiled.

The conversation flew easily after that. Rey’s friends were eager to know him better and he wanted to know more about the people who were his girl’s safety net. Ben liked Finn’s honesty, Rose’s dry sense of humour, and even Poe’s exceptional talent for making perfect quips. That one hadn’t changed much after all. But mostly he loved how Rey’s eyes sparkled with delight seeing her four most favourite people in the world work so well together. Rose confessed that she was dying to try Ben’s cooking after all the stellar reviews Rey gave them. Poe laughed heartily remembering all the wild speculations they had made regarding why the cute guy she met still hadn’t made a move on her.

“If I’d known that it was you, I would have told her straight away to make the first move. You have always been a bit slow in that department and we all know the poor girl was dying to climb this tr… ow!” he yelped as Rose jabbed his ribs.

“Poe Dameron, I swear I’ll make you regret your behaviour,” she hissed.

“Excuse him,” Finn sighed toward beet-red Ben and Rey, “he’s a moron and he’s excited. I personally think that your parents raised you right, regardless of what _certain_ _idiots _think.”

“Mhmm,” Rey nodded non-committally, her cheeks flushed bright red.

The dinner was a success. Later, before the guys left, Ben managed to get Poe aside for a minute to ask a question he was itching to know the answer to. “How are they?”

Poe, to his credit, didn’t blink an eye. “Fine, they’re doing great, trying to settle down, you know? Han no longer lives in the garage and Leia cut down on her working hours.”

Ben felt a pang of guilt at that. His parents weren’t getting any younger, but there was still too much hurt and resentment between them.

“You OK, buddy?” Poe asked carefully.

“Yes, yes.”

“They miss you, you know? Truly.”

“I…” To be honest, he missed them, too. But it was too much to take in. “If you see them, tell them I’m fine? And that I hope they are OK, too?”

“If that’s what you want,” Poe smiled encouragingly.

“And that I’m grateful for Grandma Padme’s book. It led me to someone special.” His eyes settled on Rey laughing with Finn and Rose.

“You could tell them yourself,” the man suggested.

Ben sighed.

“Maybe someday.”

Poe squeezed his shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready, buddy.”

When they were gone, Rey wrapped her arms around Ben’s waist and looked at him questioningly, a small smile curling her lips. “Did you enjoy it? Was it good?”

Ben stared in awe at his gorgeous girl who had brought so much light and happiness into his life. How could he possibly be so lucky to be in love with her? “No. It was better than good.” 


	14. Roast Turkey with Gravy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey have a super-belated Thanksgiving dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, you read it right, I'm that slow! Sorry for that and thank you for bearing with me. A shout-out to my wonderful beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Rey stretched in her seat like a cat, her eyes fixed on Padme’s cookbook. She looked so cute, Ben couldn’t help himself from dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

“Mmm, that’s nice. I wouldn’t mind a cuddle,” she murmured, making him chuckle.

“What happened to not making out in the kitchen?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“We are not _making out_!” Rey pretended to be scandalized. “We are just engaging in a wholesome activity, sharing the warmth, so to say.” As if he didn’t turn up the temperature just to keep her warm. “All the fun stuff is reserved for the other rooms,” the minx grinned cheekily.

Ben flushed. He was well aware how progressively more bold his precious girlfriend was becoming in their relationship. Yes, some _stuff_ is better to be kept out of kitchen.

“You’ll be the death of me, Sweetheart,” Ben muttered.

“Love you, too,” she chirped back sweetly. “So, the bird.”

Ben involuntarily scowled. “Why are you so dead set on having a whole turkey?”

Rey blinked confusedly. “It’s Thanksgiving.”

“Well, yes, but there are _thousands_ of other delicious things to do with turkey,” he pointed out, never being one to celebrate. “We could have baked the breast…”

His girl scoffed. “It’s a _tradition_. Besides, it’s my first proper Thanksgiving that’s not a Friendsgiving or me imposing on some unsuspecting family.” She gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

Ben felt like he’d been slapped. Rey had already missed out on so much, she only wanted to experience a proper holiday, and now he was being a complete ass over it. His girl deserved better, so much better. “I’m so sorry, Sweetheart, I didn’t mean…”

She sighed. “Stop apologizing, dummy. What is it with you and your misplaced sense of guilt?” Rey lifted her brow questioningly as Ben squirmed. “Just give me a kiss and help me beat this monster into submission.”

He gave a surprised chuckle. “You make it sound like the bird is still alive.”

“Who knows?” she smirked. “Did you know that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs? Alive turkey is _terrifying_.”

“I don’t even want to know,” Ben shook his head, snorting, turning on the oven. “Very well, cooking it is. Let’s start with mixing salt, pepper and other seasoning.” He tucked the turkey wings under the bird and seasoned the cavity. “Will you help me with the vegetables, Sweetheart?”

“I’m your go-to chopper, aren’t I?” she wondered.

“You are very proficient with knives.”

“And you are into women wielding sharp, dangerous objects,” Rey stated.

Ben didn’t have it in him to deny. It was indeed quite a nice sight to watch his girlfriend chop onions, celery, and carrots, but then again, she could do absolutely anything and he would stare like the lovesick fool he was. Together they stuffed half of the vegetables, rosemary, and sage into the cavity of the turkey, then he tied its legs together with kitchen string.

“Want to make sure it won’t run away?” his girlfriend teased.

“Whatever you say, Sweetheart,” Ben shook his head in amusement. He was absolutely enamored with Rey’s playful nature. “Do you remember how to put butter under the skin?”

“I think so.”

“Now is your chance to try.” Under his guidance she carefully loosened the skin on top of the turkey breast and pushed two tablespoons of butter into the pocket, carefully spreading it.

“Very good.” Ben relished the bright smile his sweet girl gave him. “Spread the same amount of butter all over the bird and sprinkle it with the remaining seasoning.”

“Will do, boss-man,” she winked, making him chuckle.

That was a new term of endearment, for sure, but he didn’t mind.

“Now let’s put the rest of the vegetables into the pan.”

He and Rey spread the remaining onion, celery, and carrots and put the turkey on the top. Ben carefully added a bit of water and placed a sheet of aluminium foil over the turkey’s breast.

“Why do you need to do that?” his girl asked, puzzled.

“To make sure it bakes evenly,” he explained. “All set. It’s time to put it in the oven.”

With the bird baking they both let out a sigh of relief. “It’s not as bad as I thought,” Rey smiled.

“We haven’t even started on gravy yet,” Ben pointed out. “We should begin with stock. Could you please fill that saucepan with water?”

“Yup. How much?”

“Around six cups.” He put the giblets and bay leaf into the saucepan. “Now it has to simmer for around two hours.”

“So much time,” his girlfriend grinned wickedly. “What do we do now?”

If it was up to Ben, he would be absolutely content with feeding her snacks and cuddling her to his heart’s content. With Rey’s opinion in the equation, though, they both wandered back into the kitchen two hours later with mussed hair, kiss-swollen lips, and matching goofy grins. They made quick work of fishing out and getting rid of the giblets, leaving the stock to cool down. An hour before the turkey finished cooking, Ben removed the foil to make sure the bird was beautifully coloured all over and matched his girl’s high standards for a proper Thanksgiving staple.

Finally, the turkey was done.

“It’s so pretty,” Rey gasped, “just like in the movies.”

Ben couldn’t really agree. Sure, the bird looked nice, but the only pretty thing in his kitchen was his girlfriend. He wisely kept his silence, though; their dating history had quickly taught him not to stand between Rey and her food. They set the turkey aside to let it rest and turned back to the gravy.

“OK, Sweetheart, now I’m going to pour the pan juices into a saucepan so that you can skim off the turkey fat,” Ben instructed her.

“All of it?” she bit the tip of her tongue in concentration and he almost missed her question she looked so adorable.

“Yes, but you have to keep about two tablespoons.” After Rey finished, he mixed the reserved turkey fat and a tablespoon of butter over medium heat. “Help me fish out the onion from the roasting pan.”

“Sure,” she beamed.

“See, I cook and stir it until the onion is browned,” Ben pointed out. “Now it’s time to stir in the flour.” He gave her the spatula. “Cook it for another five minutes.”

“Now what?” Rey asked.

“Now we whisk in the stock and the pan juices. Can you skim off the foam? Great,” Ben smiled. “Now we only have to let it thicken.”

“Just like that?” his girl frowned.

“Basically. I only have to whisk it all the time to make sure nothing burns.”

“Oh. Makes sense.”

“That’s the kitchen for you,” he winked. “Do you mind chopping a bit of sage?” Ben stirred in the herb, seasoned the gravy, and finally everything was done.

“This is a-ma-zing!” Rey proclaimed with a mouthful of turkey and mashed potatoes. Her dining habits occasionally suffered under the force of her excitement, but he didn’t mind one bit. Ben loved everything about her. “Best Thanksgiving ever.”

“From what I gathered, you didn’t have much experience before,” he pointed out, earning himself a smack on his shoulder.

“Hey, just because I haven’t celebrated much doesn’t mean I can’t tell a good holiday from a bad one,” she scoffed. “And this one is perfect.”

“Even without your friends?” Ben wondered. “Wouldn’t you rather spend this day with them?”

Rey dramatically rolled her eyes. “Finn and Rose went to her parents and Poe to his, so no, I didn’t want to go with either of them, especially since I have a boyfriend I would rather spend time with.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, _oh_,” she snorted. “Ben, this comes from a place of deepest, sincere love, but you are _such a dummy_. I want to spend time with you because _you_ are my home.”

For a second he sat still, processing her words, then he almost jumped out of his seat in a rush to get to her and crush their lips together. Rey tasted like turkey and happiness and Ben wanted nothing else in the world. “I love you, too, Sweetheart, so much.”

She beamed, her hand lightly caressing his cheek. “I know. Now let’s finish dinner and start the Harry Potter movie marathon.”

Ben stared at his beloved girlfriend, puzzled. “Isn’t that for Halloween?”

“Yup,” she confirmed. “Halloween, Thanksgiving, _and _Christmas. You have still so much to learn.”

“You can always teach me,” he suggested.

Rey grinned like the cat who got all the cream.

“You know what? I think I will.”

Later, as they curled together on the couch with the TV working in the background, Ben decided that Thanksgiving wasn’t that bad when you had so much to be grateful for.


	15. Leg of Lamb with Gravy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is being his usual self. Rey knows what she wants and is not afraid to go for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TROS is here and I'm terrified they're going to break our tender Reylo hearts. Therefore, here is some awkward fluff.
> 
> Many thanks to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

The world seriously lacked balance. Just when Ben’s workload eased up a bit, Rey’s increased to full force. More often than not, he was cooking dinner while she determinedly studied her ass off. Apparently, applied science was no joke. So it was really nice to see her waltz into his kitchen that evening with a bright smile and without a textbook for a change.

“Someone is in a good mood?” Ben asked.

She beamed at him.

“Maybe. Are you going to feed me?”

“When do I not?” he chuckled. “How does lamb sound to you?”

“Mmmm, very appealing,” Rey proclaimed before stealing a kiss.

“Good thing I’ve already started.” Ben had indeed already pre-heated the oven and scored the lamb all over. “Do you want to make the herb butter?”

Rey licked her lips, immediately drawing his eyes. “Sounds yummy.”

“And it’s easy to make. Just drop the butter into the blender, add thyme and rosemary, and mix it.”

“On it.”

She bit her lip in concentration, looking so cute and serious, and once again he was struck by how much he loved her.

“How was school, Sweetheart?”

“You know, the usual. A test, a paper, a presentation, a test, a test…. I might need to reread a chapter or two later,” Rey smiled, putting the herb butter in a bowl.

“Poor you. How can I make it better?” Ben wondered, busy arranging onion halves and unpeeled garlic cloves in a large roasting tray.

His girl smiled cheekily.

“I might have an idea.”

“Hmm? Interesting,” he mused. “See, now we just have to spread the butter all over the lamb, place it in the tray, and put it in the oven.” Ben set the timer and turned to his girlfriend. “You were saying?”

Rey smiled uncharacteristically shyly at him. “I was thinking I could stay here tonight.”

“Oh?” This was something they had done before. More than once they had fallen asleep watching TV and lately Rey, an overworked student, tended to pass out while studying. “Are you already too sleepy to walk back?” he asked sympathetically.

Oddly, she squirmed a little, making him blink confusedly. “No, not sleepy.” His girl looked at him with determination. “Ben, I’m ready.”

“For the test?” he asked, puzzled by her behaviour.

“No, I mean _ready_.” Rey even wiggled her eyebrows. Ben was completely at a loss. What did she mean?

“I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

She sighed loudly. “To have sex.”

“_What_?” The sound he made was too squeaky even for his own ears. His girl wanted what now?!

“I know we we’ve been heading there and you are _so_ considerate, but I don’t want to wait anymore.” Rey might as well be speaking Chinese. His brain refused to comprehend the implications.

“Oh, um.” He stumbled. The phrase _“first everything”_ floated in his mind. “OK, but, um, are you _sure_?”

She frowned at him. “Yes.”

“Because, you know…” Ben started panicking. It wasn’t like he _hadn’t_ thought about having sex with her, on the contrary, he thought about it far more than was healthy. But being someone’s first was a lot of pressure and he couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways it could possibly go wrong. What if he hurt her? What if she hated it? What if he pushed her? He was the older and _supposedly _smarter person in this relationship.

“Trust me, _I _know,” Rey interjected sharply.

“But wouldn’t you want…”

“You to make sweet, sweet love to me?”

“Someone more suitable?” Ben blurted the first thing that came to his mind and immediately knew how _wrong_ it was. Rey’s face twisted with hurt, then into a scowl and he wanted to kick himself. What the fuck he was thinking?! _No one_ could touch his girl.

“Seriously?” she snapped.

“I mean…”

“Someone more… like whom?! Some drunk frat guys? Because believe me, I can find one!”

“What?” Ben saw red. “What guy?” he growled, ready to eliminate the threat. “Rey, tell me, who…?”

“Does it matter? _You_ don’t want me,” she replied pointedly.

Ben’s brain short-circuited. How could she possibly think? ..._Oh._

“That’s not true,” he said lamely, the idiot he was, “it’s just too fast.”

Rey’s eyes widened suddenly and she stopped scowling. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

Now Ben was utterly confused. “For what?” It was _he _who should be sorry.

“For trying to coerce you.” _For _what_ now?!_ He was totally ruining it, wasn’t he? “You might not even be into me that way.”

_He what?!_ “I _am_ into you that way,” Ben protested, helplessly watching Rey’s shoulders slump.

“I just wanted someone who loves me and whom I love. I didn’t mean to force you,” she said in a small voice.

His heart broke for her. What kind of an asshole did this to his girlfriend? “You are _not_ forcing me,” he insisted, taking a step closer. Something flashed behind Rey’s eyes, but she looked away.

“I feel horrible, demanding like this.”

“You are not…” Ben started desperately.

“And to think that I bought lingerie specifically for tonight,” she said absently.

“Lingerie?” he choked.

“Lacy and red, your favourite colour,” Rey helpfully supplied. “But clearly that was too far.”

“What? No!” The vision of his girlfriend in red lace swum in front of his eyes, making Ben _very_ hot and bothered.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she soothed him.

“You didn’t.”

“Because I can be so pushy...”

“No, you are not.”

“We can just hold hands and then you kiss my forehead good night and we’ll go to beds.” She glanced at him from under her lashes. “Separate ones.” 

He groaned. “Rey…”

“And no funny business or lacy lingerie,” she continued with a wicked gleam in her eyes, “because clearly…”

A horrible, horrible thought appeared in Ben’s mind. “Are you _teasing_ me?” he asked incredulously. The minx grinned.

“Is it working?”

“Fuck, Rey,” he muttered, pressing her against the wall.

“Seems so,” she hummed contentedly.

“You _can’t_ just do this.”

The minx quirked her eyebrow. “And _you_ can be a dummy? I’m ready, what’s stopping _you_?” What wasn’t? There were thousands of reasons for Ben to keep himself in check.

“I… Sweetheart, I don’t want to hurt you. In any way.”

“You could never,” she said confidently. “You love me. I don’t know what’s still holding you back, but let it go. I’ve got you.”

He dropped his face into the crook of her neck, allowing himself to relax. “I don’t deserve you.”

Rey snorted. “It’s not up to you to decide, silly. Now maybe we can finish the dinner so that you could show me just how much you are interested?”

Ben groaned, then kissed her soundly, showing her exactly how interested he was. “Let’s do that.”

They peeled, chopped, and boiled the celery and the potatoes, then he mashed it with butter. “Sweetheart, can you please grate a bit of nutmeg for seasoning?”

“Sure,” she smiled brightly, amused by how fast he was trying to work. With the addition of the seasonings the mashing was done. With the lamb done and resting it was time to make the gravy. Ben placed half of the onion into a pan, added in flour, a bit of port and chicken stock, then placed it on the stove, stirring continuously.

“Now we only have to pass it through a sieve,” he nodded toward the thickened gravy. “Think you can do that?”

“Yep.”

“Just be careful. I don’t want you to burn yourself accidentally.” Ben smiled when Rey planted a fleeting kiss on his cheek before getting to work. In the meantime he finally chopped the mint with the other half of onion and mixed it with the red wine vinegar and brown sugar to make a sauce. The meal was done.

The lamb was delicious. Probably. Ben wasn’t entirely sure, because his girlfriend kept casting heated glances at him, making him very, very distracted. Also, the knowledge of what she was hiding under her chunky sweater didn’t help either.

“See something you like?” Rey teased him, licking her fork.

“Good girls don’t tease, Sweetheart,” he warned her.

“Oh? And what makes you think I’m good?” she asked innocently.

Ben growled. “OK, that’s enough. You are going to be punished.” His girlfriend’s eyes widened in excitement. “No second helping for you.”

“Hey, that’s mean!”

He chuckled darkly. “I’m afraid I’m not nice either.” With that he scooped Rey from her seat and stomped toward his bedroom, her happy shrieks filling the apartment. The food eventually grew cold on the table. Neither of them cared.


	16. One-cup Pancakes with Blueberries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooth-rotting fluff because I'm no Disney.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy little update because Reylo community needs cheering up and my body finally started to cooperate today (seriously, a hurt leg is bearable, but a hurt leg + a pinched nerve + a low blood pressure - that's a bit too much. But at least I can walk today without owwing every three seconds, so yay).  
As always, many thanks to mu lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Ben woke feeling utterly content. In his arms lay the most beautiful woman in the whole galaxy, sleeping soundly, warm and pliant against him. His alarm was quiet, the whole apartment was; he didn’t have to rush anywhere, to answer calls, to solve problems, nothing. Ben could just _be_. It was pure bliss.

Rey shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer to him, and he automatically dropped a kiss on her bare freckled shoulder. She let out the world’s most adorable sigh and his heart clenched. Ben would gladly spend the rest of his life like this, cuddling together in his bed, just enjoying the feeling of being this close to her.

Or not. If she wouldn’t stop wiggling her pert little ass, Ben wouldn’t remain this calm for long. Oh no, he would _definitely_ wake her. His mind immediately turned to the events of the previous night, to all the ways in which he could make her moan (other than his cooking, that is) and, truth be told, Ben wouldn’t mind a repeat. But his poor exhausted girl needed her sleep; he couldn’t just wake her like that, that would be too egotistical even for him. Besides, Rey would probably wake up famished and he couldn’t have that either.

Reluctantly, Ben untangled himself from her and slid out of his bed. His girlfriend pouted in her sleep, nesting herself deeper into the warm sheets. He kissed the crown of her head, then padded barefoot into his kitchen, not even bothering to put on anything other than boxers. It’s not like there was anyone other than him or his precious girl in there.

If Ben knew one thing about Rey, it was that she loved breakfast food. Sure, his beloved girl loved food in general, but breakfast food, along with pastries, held a very specific place in her heart. And Rey would never, ever turn down a plate of good pancakes. Good thing that Padme left a recipe just for this occasion.

Humming under his breath (a habit he had apparently picked from his girlfriend), Ben chose a large mixing bowl and cracked three eggs into it. He added a pinch of sea salt, three cups of milk, and three cups of flour. After carefully whisking everything together he got a perfectly smooth batter without any inconsistencies. Satisfied, Ben gently folded through the blueberries. Rey would probably prefer chocolate chips, but someone had to take care of her health and blueberries were just as tasty and much better for her teeth, too. 

He put a large frying pan on the stove and heated a bit of oil in it, carefully tilting the pan to spread the oil out evenly. When the surface of the pan was covered, Ben added a few scoops of batter into the pan, making sure to leave enough space between them. While Rey might even appreciate a mega-pancake, he wanted to make her first breakfast in bed look perfect. She deserved this.

Ben cooked the pancakes until the bases turned a nice golden colour and little bubbles appeared on the surface, then carefully flipped them over. This skill he had mastered in his teens and hadn’t lost since. When his pancakes turned a perfect shade on both sides, he transferred them to a plate. They looked perfectly rounded, beautifully golden, and smelled delicious. Satisfied with his inspection, Ben put a second batch in the pan. As soon as he put the spoon aside, two small arms wrapped around his bare middle and a warm cheek pressed between his shoulder blades. 

“Mmmm, something smells good.” A nuzzle into his back. “The pancakes smell nice, too.”

“Sweetheart, you were supposed to still be in bed,” Ben uttered before turning around and promptly forgetting how to use English. His sweet, sweet Rey was standing there clad only in his shirt which covered her tiny frame like a dress. It was the sexiest freaking sight of his life.

“Like what you see?” the minx asked innocently. He could only nod. “I can’t hear you,” she smirked.

“R-rey,” Ben rasped, “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Why aren’t you there with me?” she pouted. “It was cold and lonely.”

“I just wanted to bring you breakfast,” he said helplessly.

“Maybe I wanted _you _for breakfast,” Rey winked. “Pick up your jaw, baby, I think the pancakes are burning.”

This woman was going to be the death of him, for sure.

Gathering himself together, Ben quickly flipped over the pancakes that had indeed turned more brown than golden. “How are you feeling?”

Rey beamed. “Wonderful. And I will feel even better if you go back to bed with me.”

“As soon as I’m sure that you are fed,” he promised. “Please sit in a chair, Sweetheart, you are barefoot and I don’t want you to get cold.”

His girlfriend rolled her eyes. “You are such a mother hen. I’ll be fine. Besides, you’re barefoot, too.”

“I tend to run hot, you know that,” Ben sighed.

“That you are,” Rey grinned. “Hot, that is.”

He desperately hoped he didn’t blush at that. Between the two of them, Ben was the shy one. As the fresh batch of pancakes sizzled in the pan, he put a plate of already made ones in front of Rey. “What do you want? Honey, yoghurt, more blueberries, tea, juice?”

“All of the above? Well, maybe without juice?” she looked at him hopefully.

“Sure, Sweetheart.” He didn’t doubt her appetite for a second. If anything, it only endeared her to him even more.

With the last of the batter turned into pancakes, Ben settled with his own plate and a cup of coffee across from his girlfriend. Stars, she was beautiful. Rey’s eyes sparkled, her skin was radiant, and her well-mussed hair only added to her charm. Not to mention that his shirt looked far better on her than on him. It would probably look even better on the floor, but that was a thought to hold onto.

“You OK?” she called. “Your breakfast is getting cold.”

Ben flushed. “Sorry, just thinking.”

“About?”

“You.” Now it was his girl’s turn to blush, which made her look even more adorable. “So, about last night…”

Rey smirked. “Is that a subtle way to ask about your performance?”

“What? No, I was worried…”

“Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”

“About you,” Ben finally finished. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Rey reached out for his hand. “Of course not, silly. It was wonderful. _You_ are wonderful.”

His heart soared at her confession. “I love you.” He planted a kiss on her knuckles.

“Love you more,” she shot back. “It’s just…”

Ben’s heart dropped. “What?”

“I am still, you know...” Rey looked at him shyly.

“You are what?” he asked, mystified.

“Inexperienced, unlike you.”

“So?” If his precious girl somewhat lacked experience, she certainly didn’t lack enthusiasm.

“I was thinking,” she looked at him coyly, “that maybe I need a teacher?”

Ben promptly choked on his coffee. “You _what_?”

“I need a teacher,” Rey purred before slowly and deliberately licking honey off her spoon, “to show me,” she popped a stray blueberry into her mouth, “the ways of the bedroom.”

He groaned involuntarily, reacting to this private performance. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Nope,” she smirked. “That’s the last thing on my list.”

“You have a _list_?”

His girl grinned. “I have _so much_ to learn.”

Ben stood up abruptly, not even trying to hide how his body had reacted to her teasing. “You do? Ah, you do,” he growled before scooping her up.

Rey’s loud laugh filled the apartment. “What’s with you and the bridal carry?”

“You wait and see,” Ben promised darkly, trying not to get distracted by the kisses she showered him with.

One day, he promised himself. One day he would carry her as his bride. 


	17. Chicken Marsala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finals are hard, but Ben will try to make it better. After all, Rey only needs her cuddly teddy bear of a boyfriend. And dinner, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's super late at posting this chapter? Yep, that's me. Sometimes life happens and your health simply refuses to cooperate. Oh well...
> 
> Many thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my amazing beta.

“…with alcohol?” Ben looked expectantly at his girlfriend.

She yawned.

“Mmmm?”

“Earth to Rey?” No response. “Sweetheart?” She finally lifted her head from her textbook, making her messy bun bob. Rey looked like she had just rolled out of bed and was in dire need of sleep at the same time, and still she was the most attractive woman he had ever seen.

“What?”

“I asked if you are OK with this recipe that includes alcohol? It will evaporate during cooking, but you know…” Ben trailed off.

“Mmm? Ah, yes, whatever.” She rubbed her eyes tiredly, then yawned again.

“Sweetheart, have you heard a word of what I said?” he asked suspiciously.

Rey guiltily looked at him. “Sorry, I’m just trying to get ready for the finals and Professor Insidious is the _devil_.”

Ben’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s really his name?”

“No, of course not. It’s just,” Rey sighed, “Professor Palpatine seems really nice at first, but he will totally fail you in a heartbeat, smiling all the way. I swear, he eats students’ souls for breakfast and heaven forbid you forget a single thing the “wise Dr. Plagueis” came up with,” she airquoted the phrase, her cute little nose scrunching in distaste. “Fanboys are the worst.” His precious girl rolled her eyes. “And I really, really need a good grade, with my scholarship and all.”

“I don’t know, to me it looks like you need a hug,” Ben joked, wrapping his arms around her from behind and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Rey melted into him, the tension finally leaving her body, which delighted him to no end.

“That, too. You give the best hugs, you know? You’re like my personal giant cuddly teddy bear.”

He let out a started chuckle. “Well, that’s the first time someone called me _that_.”

Rey glanced at him curiously over her shoulder. “What, no one told you before that you’re a big old softie?”

“Hey, who’s _old_?!”

“Sensitive, too,” she snorted at his obvious indignation.

“You know who’s sensitive?” he growled dangerously. “Someone who’s _ticklish_!”

With that Ben enthusiastically attacked Rey’s sides, eliciting shrieks of laughter out of her. She desperately tried to wriggle away, but it was no use with him being so much bigger and stronger than her.

“Stop! Stop that! I surrender! I surrender!”

“Do you now?” he taunted, though ceasing his assault.

His girlfriend looked at him warily, ready to bolt at any moment.

“I do, I promise! You aren’t old, OK?” Rey lifted her palms in surrender.

“Much better,” Ben nodded in satisfaction.

“Seriously, you can’t just do that, I’m studying,” she pouted, looking adorable with flushed cheeks and bright eyes.

Seriously, it was unfair to be that attractive.

“All work and no play makes Rey a tired, hungry, sleepy girl,” he pointed out. Which was absolutely not OK in his book.

“That’s rich, coming from you, with your eighty-hour work week,” she snorted. “Hey, hey, no more tickling!”

“Mmmm, I don’t know about that,” Ben chuckled, “you look so cute when I do.”

“You ass,” his girl gasped in mock-indignation. “I’ll have you know that I’m cute all the time!”

“True,” he nodded sagely. “Even though you’re a little goblin when you’re hungry.”

“Excuse me?!” Rey gasped, preparing to smack him. Her stomach rumbled loudly, making her flush.

“See?”

“That’s because _someone_ hasn’t even started cooking yet,” she scolded him pointedly, looking as threatening as a grumpy little kitten.

“Whatever you want, Sweetheart,” he smiled before leaning in to steal a kiss that Rey happily granted.

“I seriously need to study,” she mumbled when they separated.

“I know. I’m sorry, Sweetheart,” Ben said guiltily. Sometimes he just couldn’t help himself around her, forgetting that she might have other priorities. Quality time together would have to wait; her grades came first.

“That’s OK, just make me dinner and everything will be forgiven,” Rey smiled before tugging him in for another kiss. “Now go.”

With a sigh, Ben reluctantly let her bury her nose in that horrible book again, focusing on providing his sweet girl with much needed food. Finding the recipe in Padme’s cookbook, he set out all the necessary ingredients, picked a bowl, and mixed the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano in it. He halved two chicken breasts, then pounded them until the thickness was right and coated the meat in the flour mixture.

Satisfied with the results, Ben picked a large skillet and heated up an equal amount of butter and oil over medium heat. In the meantime, he sliced mushrooms and set them aside. Then he placed the chicken into the pan to let it brown lightly, turned it over, and added the mushrooms. Finally, Ben carefully poured in a half cup of Marsala wine and one-fourth cup of cooking sherry, covered the skillet, and let it simmer for ten minutes, turning the chicken once. He placed the fragrant meat on a plate along with the bowl of salad made out of chopped fresh vegetables.

“Rey, dinner is ready.”

“Huh?” she poked her head into the kitchen. “That was fast.”

“That’s because there wasn’t anyone to distract me,” Ben chuckled. His girlfriend blinked at him.

“I am _distracting_?”

“You have no idea,” he said honestly.

“But why?” Rey looked at him, bewildered. “I’m basically wearing pajamas, I really need to wash my hair and probably take a shower, too…”

“And you are freaking beautiful,” he interjected, making her flush. How could she doubt the effect she had on him? Surely, his girl knew by now that he was no better than a besotted puppy around her.

“Flattery will lead you nowhere, Mr. Solo,” she looked at him coyly.

“I disagree, Sweetheart, I’m exactly where I want to be,” he smiled, knowing that every word was truth. “Now sit and eat, OK?”

“Love you,” Rey whispered over the table.

“Love you more,” Ben shot back.

They ate their meal in comfortable silence. Well, _he_ ate, Rey more like inhaled it, anxious to return to her textbooks, notebooks, papers and diagrams, the shadow of evil Professor Insidious looming over her. At least Ben managed to convince her to study in comfort on the couch. She leaned on him, the book firmly in her lap, letting him hold her while he checked his email. Eventually his poor exhausted girl dropped her head on his shoulder, too tired to go on, prompting Ben to scoop her into his arms.

“Come on, Sweetheart, bed time.”

“Mmm? No funny business, sir,” Rey mumbled sleepily, making him snort.

“Obviously not.”

“Just cuddles. Told ya,” she snuggled deeper into his chest, “my personal teddy bear.”

“Whatever you want, Sweetheart,” Ben promised, wrapping his arms more securely around her. “Whatever you want.”


	18. Salmon with Young Garlic and Tomato Sauce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birthday boy gets his gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Ben opened the door to his apartment and immediately knew he wasn’t alone. His lips involuntarily curled into a smile. Rey was there. He’d had no idea how much pleasure the single act of giving her a key would bring him. Something about knowing that his girlfriend was comfortable in his home awakened ancient possessive feelings in him. Yes, Ben wasn’t far from a caveman. No, he didn’t care.

Following the noises, he walked into the kitchen, making Rey jump when she heard him clearing his throat.

“Baby, you’re home early,” she gasped, looking like a kid caught with her hand in a cookie jar. She looked so adorable in her oversized sweater. Wait, was that _his _sweater? He could literally purr from satisfaction. Yes, a caveman through and through.

“You didn’t expect me?” Ben asked curiously, taking in her flushed cheeks. “Rey, what’s going on?” he frowned, taking in the sporadically scattered ingredients.

His girlfriend turned down the heat under the pan, looking even more guilty. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t celebrate, but I just wanted to make you a surprise….”

Jigsaw pieces fell into place. It was his birthday. How could he have forgotten about it? And his sweet precious girl wanted to please him. Touched, Ben immediately wrapped Rey in his arms. “Sweetheart, you didn’t have to.”

She looked at him with wide hazel eyes like the true angel she was. “I wanted to. Can’t I take care of my boyfriend?”

How was it possible to refrain from kissing her after such a statement?

“Of course you can,” Ben promised, caressing her cheek lightly. “I just didn’t want you to go out of your way.”

“And I wanted to see you on the receiving end of this relationship for once,” Rey pouted.

As if she hadn’t given him enough already. He couldn’t remember anyone else ever bestowing upon him so much affection.

“Besides, we need something to eat.”

“I could always eat you,” Ben suggested automatically before his brain even registered what was coming out of his mouth. So much for being a smooth talker. Somehow his girlfriend brought a dark side out of him without even trying.

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Rey snorted. “Hey, no making out in the kitchen,” she scolded him playfully, when he tried to mouth her neck lightly.

“Why do I feel like you bend the rules to your convenience?” he grumbled when his girl wiggled out of his arms to get back to cooking.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Rey shot back with a perfect pokerface.

“Uh-huh. So, what are you making?” Ben didn’t really need to ask, already figuring out which one of his favorites she was making, but listening to her talk about food was a gift in itself.

“Salmon with young garlic and tomato sauce. You love fish, don’t you?” Rey asked with a touch of insecurity to her voice.

No, that wouldn’t do.

“Yes, but I love you more,” he informed her sagely before ducking down for a thorough kiss. Rules or not, it was his birthday and he could take whatever he wanted. Besides, it’s not like his little minx protested, so….

“You know, I seriously can’t decide whether you’re a sap or a horndog right now,” she informed him with amusement as if those were mutually exclusive things.

“Both?”

“Sounds about right,” Rey chuckled, then frowned. “What do you think you are doing?”

Ben looked at the knife he had grabbed. “Helping you.”

“It’s your birthday, not mine,” his girlfriend pursed her pretty pink lips, successfully distracting him from anything else for a moment.

“Then I can do whatever I want,” Ben scoffed, starting to slice the lemon Rey had prepared beforehand. She sighed, muttering something suspiciously resembling ‘stubborn ass’.

“At least I finished the cake beforehand.”

He looked at her with wide eyes. “Cake?”

“Chocolate truffle chestnut torte,” Rey announced proudly, checking how heated the pan was. “I know you’re not big on sweets so I went with dark chocolate.”

“Have I told you that I love you?” he asked her in awe.

“Once or twice,” she smiled cheekily, drizzling the pan with olive oil.

“That won’t do,” Ben proclaimed before scooping her into his arms and showering her with kisses. Rey shrieked and wiggled and laughed happily, accepting his silly display of affection and eagerly kissing him back.

“Come on, let me down. We have a dinner to finish,” she pleaded, still laughing.

“Don’t want to,” he grumbled stubbornly, refusing to release his hold on her.

“Ben, if you don’t, you won’t get your gift,” Rey tried another approach.

He frowned. “You promised not to get me anything.”

“And I didn’t,” she insisted.

“Sweetheart, good girls don’t lie,” Ben chastised her, tightening his hold a little.

Rey looked at him coyly, biting her lip. “I’m not. Let me down and I’ll explain.”

Reluctantly, he conceded, letting her out of his arms and out of his reach. “So?”

His girlfriend flushed a little, looking exceptionally cute. “I didn’t get you a gift, per se, more like treated myself,” she smiled shyly, allowing her (his?) sweater to slip off her shoulder to reveal a delicate lacy strap.

“Rey…” Ben croaked, his throat suddenly parched. His sweet girl had no idea what she was doing to him.

“Now be a good boy and help me finish so that you could unwrap your gift,” the minx smiled wickedly, pleased with how affected Ben was. Perhaps, she knew exactly what she was doing after all.

“You’re killing me,” he groaned.

“I’m giving you the right incentive.”

“Yeah, right.” The right incentive for an early heart attack, that’s for sure.

Since Rey had prepared all the ingredients beforehand, she only needed to fry the thinly cut young garlic until it caramelized, then to add squashed tomatoes to cook till they softened. She bit her lip in concentration, looking so adorable and tempting, Ben had to restrain himself from grabbing her and carrying her straight to his bedroom.

“Sweetheart, is it OK with you if I start the salmon?” he asked her, needing to busy himself with something.

“If you really want to,” she smiled.

“I do, I really do,” Ben muttered, putting another pan on medium heat. The sooner they were done, the sooner they could get to dessert, and it wasn’t cake he had in mind.

When the oil in the pan was heated, he put the seasoned salmon in, skin-side down, and cooked it for three minutes. Then he turned the fish, added the lemon slices, and cooked it until it was done. In the meantime Rey finely chopped a few sprigs of mint and dill and stirred it into the finished sauce. With the salmon cooked the meal was done.

“This is amazing,” Ben praised his girlfriend’s cooking skills.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, since you did all the work.”

“Hey, not another word. You’re a fantastic cook. You even made a cake,” he tried to cheer her up.

“Yep, the cake you’re going to try right here right now,” Rey stated sternly. “Or no presents for you.”

“Sweetheart,” Ben whined, dying to get his hands on her, “can we do this later? Please?”

“Nope. I’ve even got a candle. Do you want me to sing?” she smiled cheekily.

He groaned.

To tell the truth, the cake was delicious. Clearly, baking was Rey’s secret superpower. It was so good he almost forgot about his present. Almost. No one could fault him for wanting to get that sweater off the magnificent creature Ben had the privilege to call his girlfriend.

And if he overslept and was late for work the next day… Well, it was worth it.


	19. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben makes Rey an offer she simply cannot refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my patient beta!

Ben glanced at his girlfriend who was once again cozying up with her textbooks. If he were a jealous person, Rey’s schoolbooks would totally be his main competitors. Well, that and food. His girl could definitely earn a fortune at eating competitions, considering the magic trick she’d pulled with his birthday cake. How could that much chocolate fit into one tiny person, that was the question.

“Sweetheart, would you like spaghetti for dinner?”

Rey looked at him oddly. “Do you seriously think I would oppose any food?”

“I’m trying to figure out your preferences,” Ben sighed. It was turning out to be a challenge. She liked _everything_, especially if he was cooking. His several attempts to have a fancy restaurant date weren’t particularly successful or satisfying, because apparently Rey didn’t like fancy and preferred his kitchen skills far more. His father was right; he’d never understand women. “Is Spaghetti Aglio e Olio OK?”

“I’m not sure what it is, but sounds yummy,” Rey scrunched her nose adorably, prompting Ben to kiss her forehead.

“It’s Italian for garlic and oil.”

“Hm. Well, as long as you won’t put me on the garlic duty, I’m fine with it. I need to finish this chapter for tomorrow,” she smiled apologetically.

“Sure thing, Sweetheart.” Ben dropped a lingering kiss on her lips and padded to the kitchen. To his surprise, Rey followed him, sitting herself at the kitchen table.

“Just enjoying the view,” she smirked, eyeing his exposed forearms. Seemed like rolled sleeves did things to her.

Ben let out a surprised chuckle. “I guess, you are welcome.” Who he was to deny his girlfriend the innocent pleasure of ogling him. He didn’t mind one bit.

It might be a one-man show, but it was a one-man _cooking _show and Rey did like her food, so Ben returned to the matter at hand. He put on the stove a large pot of water to boil and salted it a little. When the water was boiling, Ben added in the spaghetti and turned back to his girl who was sitting there quietly with a distant expression on her pretty face.

“You’re being very pensive,” he observed.

She smiled softly.

“Sort of.”

“Did something happen?” Was there a problem? Ben was ready to solve it immediately. No one had a right to upset his precious girl.

“No, not really,” Rey answered elusively, making him frown.

“Then what?”

“My lease is up soon and I think the owner wants to raise the price,” she answered. “I’m currently subrenting from Rose’s sister, she’s friends with him so she had a lower rate, but she moved out for grad school.” Rey sighed sadly. “It’s the first place that was ever really my own and I love how close we live to each other, but I don’t know.…”

She bit her lip, looking away. Her eyes became wet and Ben just couldn’t bear it. He kneeled in front of her, covering her small hands with his.

“Sweetheart, look at me.”

Rey turned to him, smiling wryly. “I know I’m being silly.”

“You’re not,” Ben reassured her.

“I just don’t want to be away from you,” she confessed in a small voice that went straight to his heart. He couldn’t bear the thought of her being so distraught.

“Me neither.” Gently, Ben brought her knuckles to his lips, kissing them. His girl looked at him, wide-eyed and beautiful, and he knew what he had to do. “Listen, I know it might sound crazy, but move in with me.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I know it’s too fast, but I love you and you love me and you stay here much more than in your own apartment anyway,” he reasoned. Obviously, this was the best course of action for them both.

“Ben,” his girl frowned.

“What? I can turn my office into a guest room, you can take it if you want space.” He wasn’t that egotistic to force her to constantly be with him if she didn’t want to. “Hell, you can keep the apartment if you want to. I just want us to be together.” He squeezed her hands gently. “Always.”

“That’s a lot,” Rey sniffed, making his heart fall. Of course she wanted to protect her independence. After all, she had been fighting for so long to get a space of her own. Ben immediately felt guilty.

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you.”

Rey freed her hand from his only to cup his cheek softly. “No, don’t be sorry. It’s just a big step for me.”

“I won’t pressure you,” Ben promised, kissing her palm. It didn’t matter what he wanted from her. It was her life, her independence, and her integrity and he would never take it away from her.

“I know.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have even started. I just want you to know that you’ll always have a place here, with me.” He tried to pour all his reassurance into the words, pleading with her with his eyes to believe him.

“Ben,” she whispered, her eyes wet again.

“I love you.”

Rey smiled as he wiped away her lonely tear. “I love you, too.” She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. “Let’s do it.”

“Really?” Ben couldn’t believe his luck. Did this beautiful brave girl really want to live with him?

“Yes, I trust you. I want to try,” Rey nodded, beaming.

“Sweetheart,” he breathed out in awe. “You sure?”

“Yes, I am,” she smiled reassuringly. “I want to be with you.”

Ben couldn’t do anything other than wrap her in his arms and kiss her silly. That is, until the timer alerted him to the spaghetti. Actually, it could boil to mush for all he cared, but his sweet precious girl was already pushing him away. “That’s our dinner, silly!”

“Rey,” he whined petulantly. Who needed food when they could make out? His girlfriend, that’s who.

“Go. We have time. Plenty of it.” She was looking just as happy as he felt and of course Ben couldn’t tell her no. He stole one last kiss and reluctantly went to drain the pasta.

“So when can you move in?” he quipped, slicing the garlic.

Rey snorted. “Eager, aren’t you?”

As if it wasn’t obvious. Ben made no secret of how much he cared for her. “What? I just want you all to myself,” he winked, cooking the garlic with olive oil in a skillet.

“Let’s just say that I share the sentiment,” she laughed, wrapping her arms around his middle.

“Someone’s greedy?” he chuckled.

Rey pinched his side in retaliation. “The kettle calling the pot?”

“I don’t deny it.”

“You don’t?” she eyed him coyly. “Ah, you don’t.”

“Cheeky,” Ben teased her.

“You love it,” she shot back.

“That I do,” he murmured fondly, kissing her temple.

Rey hummed contentedly, basking in his affection. How they could both be so lucky, Ben had no idea.

He reduced the heat when the olive oil begun to bubble and cooked the garlic until golden-brown.

“Sweetheart, can you please grate the cheese?”

“No problem,” Rey gave him a dimpled smile, grabbing Parmigiano-Reggiano. While she grated, Ben seasoned the pasta, poured in the olive oil and garlic, and sprinkled on the parsley.

“Sprinkle half of the cheese here,” he instructed before stirring everything together. Now the only thing needed was to serve the pasta and top it with the remaining cheese.

Turned out, Ben didn’t have to try hard with dinner since they mostly spent it smiling like fools and making heart eyes at each other. Aside from a little fight over who had more rights to do the dishes (which Rey won, of course) it was an exceptionally uneventful evening.

“I never thought that you’d be so happy drying plates,” his girl joked.

Ben chuckled.

“You look equally happy washing them,” he pointed out.

“Why won’t I be happy cleaning our home?” she asked. His heart skipped a beat.

“Say it again,” Ben asked. “I love the sound of it.”

“What?” Rey smiled.

“_Our_ home.”


	20. SouthernItalian-style chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben once again reminds Rey how much he cares for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe it? Two-third of this story is done! I'm shocked and proud of myself. Thank you so much for every comment and kudos this fic got, you all amazing incredible human beings!
> 
> Many thanks to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley and her very reasonable suggestions for this chapter, I hope it looks better this way.

Even early mornings had their merits occasionally, Ben thought to himself, enjoying the sight of his girlfriend standing on her tippy toes trying to reach something on the top shelf.

“What are you doing, Sweetheart?” he murmured into her ear, wrapping his arms around her. Rey’s top had ridden up, baring her midriff, and Ben relished the feeling of her soft skin under his fingertips.

“Trying to get the cereal,” she grumbled sleepily. “Why are the shelves so high?”

“They’re not,” he objected, easily reaching the box.

“Are too. That’s because you’re so freakishly tall,” Rey accused him, her eyes narrowing in displeasure.

Ben chuckled.

“Who, _me_? _You_’re tiny.”

“I’m average height for a woman, just so you know. _You_’re a tree,” she informed him petulantly.

“Am not,” he pursed his lips.

“A giraffe,” Rey insisted. “A skyscraper. An Eiffel tower.”

“That’s a bit too far.”

“You’re just so tall,” she murmured. “And big. And broad.”

Ben lifted an eyebrow at her suddenly breathless words. “Are you complaining?”

Rey flushed, to his delight.

“Oh, no, I’m not,” she decided, sliding her hands up his chest appreciatively.

He would do anything to ensure she had no reasons for complaint.

Apparently, their predicament was solved pretty easily with a little input from Mitaka. A simple Amazon order and his dear girl wouldn’t have any reason to be grumpy anymore. It was delivered on Saturday before Rey had returned from her shift at Maz’s, which put Ben in a particularly good mood. It would be a surprise, then.

He hummed under his breath while slicing onions and fennel. His girlfriend’s habit of singing had decidedly rubbed off onto him. He heated oil in a large pan, added the vegetables, chilli flakes, fennel seeds, and cinnamon and left it to cook slowly until it softened. Then Ben picked a small cup, dropped in a pinch of saffron and added a bit of hot water to let out the flavour. His girl enjoyed trying all the herbs and spices so much. He set the cup aside just in time to hear the front door. A smile spread over his face. Rey was finally home.

He was putting a large frying pan on the stove as she walked inside and stopped.

“Baby, what’s that thing doing in our kitchen?” she asked, puzzled.

“Hello to you, too,” he smirked.

“Ben?”

“What? This?” he nodded toward the offending object. “It’s just a step-stool.”

Rey’s brows drew together in confusion. “A what now? Since when do we need one?”

Chuckling, Ben turned outside the inner part of the step-stool, easily transforming it into a small ladder. “Since you need to get to the top shelves.”

His girl’s face rapidly morphed through a series of expressions before turning into something soft. “You did this for me?”

“You see anyone else here?” he joked.

Rey bit her lip and then suddenly she was in his arms, kissing him as if her life depended on it. A sweet, sweet, and well-earned reward.

“Love you. So much,” she whispered.

“Love you, too, Sweetheart,” Ben replied sincerely, holding her small form closer to him. “You have no idea how much.”

Rey gently kissed him under his chin. “I think I do.”

He certainly hoped so. His girl deserved to know how loved she was.

“You’re not exactly subtle, you know? And you always keep me fed. That’s my love language,” she smiled cheekily.

Ben kissed the tip of her nose in amusement. “That’s for sure. We have chicken for dinner.”

“See? A true romance,” she winked, letting him go and giving him space to cook.

He heated a tablespoon of oil in the pan, then added the chicken thighs and drumsticks to cook until they turned a nice golden shade all over. “How was work?” Ben asked, diverting his attention from their meal.

“I think Maz has a problem,” Rey sighed. She loved her new boss dearly and was upset about it.

“Oh?”

“She’s so sad lately, though she covers it well and we never hired a replacement for Jess, so… I’m afraid it’s money issues.”

He hummed pensively as he transferred the chicken to the vegetable pan and heated it back up. “Has she said anything? You know, it could always be something personal. Family, health, love life…”

His girl blinked. “Love life? She’s, like, in her seventies!”

“You would be surprised,” Ben chuckled at her flabbergasted expression. “Would _I_ be off-putting to you when I’m seventy?” It was a tricky question. Rey might lose interest in him in a couple of years for all he knew. And yet his heart warmed immensely when her expression softened.

“You have a point,” his girl smiled. “The question is whether _you_ would be interested in seventy-year old me.”

“Always,” he replied without a doubt. “I love your face, but I love your heart more.”

Rey’s eyes were full of adoration when she looked at him. “You’re such a sap.”

“Besides, I would be eighty, so technically you would be a hot young thing compared to me,” Ben continued nonchalantly, pouring the water with saffron he had prepared before into the pan.

His girl snickered. “And now you ruined the mood.”

“For geriatric fun? Sorry, Sweetheart,” Ben snorted. “Hand me that big wooden spoon, please?” As Rey complied, he added a tin of tomatoes to the chicken and vegetables, breaking them up with the spoon. Then he filled the empty tin with water, poured it into the pan and mixed it all together.

“But seriously, I just wish Maz trusted me enough to tell me what’s going on,” she sighed.

“You know, perhaps it’s not that she doesn’t trust you,” Ben pointed out, adding two fresh bay leaves to the pan. He picked preserved lemons and started to slice them finely. “She might be not ready to speak about it to anyone just yet. You’ll have to wait until she is.”

“When did you become so wise?” Rey shook her head fondly.

“You have a good effect on me,” he gave her a crooked grin. “Or maybe I’m just becoming an old man.”

“As if,” his girlfriend scoffed.

Ben started roughly chopping the fresh tomatoes. “I don’t know, I’m already finding grey hairs.”

“You’re being silly,” Rey grinned. “Besides, hair dyes exist. I think you’d look hot as a blond.”

“_Excuse me_?!” He almost cut his finger from the sheer shock.

Rey’s happy laugh filled the kitchen. “Your face! I wish I took a picture of that!”

“You think it’s funny?” Ben grumbled.

“Very. You’re cute when you’re appalled,” the minx winked. “Not that you aren’t cute any other time.”

“Thanks for that, Sweetheart,” he muttered under his breath. So silly of him to forget how playful his girl could be. Ben added the tomatoes and olives to the pan and turned to her with an accusing expression. “Do you know that you shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds?”

“I thought you don’t mind being bitten,” Rey quipped, making him sputter.

“You’ll be the death of me.”

“I hope not,” she smiled sweetly. “I do like having you around.”

Ben only shook his head at her antics. He seasoned the dish and left it to let the sauce thicken and the chicken to get tender. In the meantime, he put couscous into a bowl and covered it with boiled salted water just a bit, put a plate on top, and left it to become fluffy.

“Come on, you can have me around until dinner finishes cooking,” he smirked at his girlfriend.

She immediately jumped to her feet.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They returned to the kitchen twenty minutes later, both well-snuggled and grinning silly. The chicken smelled amazing, the meat tender enough to fall off the bones. Ben served it with the couscous, scattering coriander on the top. Rey took the first bite and closed her eyes in pleasure.

“Thank you.”

“For the food? You’ve only started,” Ben smiled at her.

“For everything.” Rey looked at him softly. “For the food. For that stool. For caring. I’m not used to being cared for.”

His heart squeezed at the reminder. This sweet girl deserved the galaxy and instead life had treated her so unkindly. Never again, he vowed. “Sweetheart, I do care for you and always will.”

She smiled cheekily at him. “Oh yes, someone promised to adore seventy-year old me. I’m going to hold you to that.”

Ben knew his girl was deflecting with humour, but she also just promised him many years to come, so he just grinned and nodded, “I’m counting on it.”


	21. One-pan Fabulous Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble in the paradise? Ben and Rey dial with the consequences of their first big fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A teaspoon of angst in my fluff? Yes, it happened. Let's be real, no relationship is perfect, not even Ben and Rey's. But they get through it together and that's what's important. 
> 
> That being said, if you wanted fluff, I suggest you skip this chapter or at least the first two-third of it.
> 
> As always, a shout-out to my amazing beta to fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Ben stared dumbly down at the pan in his hands, forcing himself to keep it together. He couldn’t believe that his private fairy-tale had shattered just like that, and he only had himself to blame for it. Complete moron that he was, he had allowed his jealousy to get the better of him, embarrassing Rey in front of her classmate and starting a fight which resulted in the silent treatment. His girl had spent the night on the couch, resolutely refusing to come back to bed or switch places with him, and Ben hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, gnawed by his guilt.

He was close to crying. Rey hadn’t answered his calls or messages all day, she wouldn’t speak to him, she wouldn’t even look at him and Ben’s heart broke for how unhappy he had made her. Even though she was now in the same kitchen, she refused to acknowledge him. It hurt. Of course he’d known that one day this precious, brilliant girl would come to her senses and leave his sorry ass for someone more fitting, like that guy, Matt. Smart, young, attractive, he probably had a great relationship with his family and tons of friends. No wonder Ben reacted with his caveman brain, going all possessive and territorial and looking like a complete moron. Rey deserved someone like Matt. She deserved the best in life. Ben just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

But the worst part wasn’t even that. It was having Rey there, in the kitchen, looking like that’s where she truly belonged. They didn’t speak, but they didn’t even have to. It was as if she could read his mind easily. Maybe she could. He didn’t know. Ben reached for the rice, Rey grabbed the tomatoes. He mixed it with tapenade on a high heat, she halved the vegetables and mixed them with olive oil and red wine vinegar. He poured in water, she seasoned the mix and teared in basil leaves. No words exchanged, only work alongside. His girl was there, but she might as well be in Timbuktu. It was killing him. Ben put the lid on his pan, left it to boil, and turned to her, hoping to catch her eye.

“Rey.” No response. “Rey, I’m sorry.”

At that she finally looked at him with red-rimmed eyes, which broke his heart even more. “For what?”

_For what was he not?_ “For everything,” he said sincerely. “For being a petty ass. For being rude to your friend. For upsetting you. For…” _existing_, “for me being me. I’m sorry, I can’t bear this anymore.” Ben wasn’t going to break down like this. He wasn’t. Not at all.

The touch of her hand startled him. It burned in the best possible way and he never wanted it to stop.

“Then why did you do it?” Rey asked him with deceptive softness.

He chuckled bitterly. “Because I’m me?” Because he’d always wanted too much. Because he was never enough. Because a girl like her would want a guy like him only in one of those movies. Because he was a god-damn fool.

“That’s not an answer,” she pressed. “You are a kind, sweet, generous person. I know who you are. I know _you_. And that,” Rey made a vague gesture, “that wasn’t you.”

Ben had nothing to argue with, no words to offer. “I’m sorry,” he offered, sad, resigned. It wasn’t enough, of course, never enough.

“You already said that,” she scoffed.

“I don’t know what else to say.”

“You didn’t have that problem yesterday,” Rey countered, annoyance palpable in her tone.

He averted his gaze. The floor seemed so fascinating anyway. Maybe it’d have mercy and swallow him whole. It would be better than to see her disappointment.

“Ben,” she called him. “Look at me. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled like a petulant child.

“It’s not nothing if you reacted this way,” his girl insisted. “Come on, you can tell me.”

She squeezed his hand to prove her point and Ben realized with a start that she didn’t let him go. She would kill him with her kindness and not even know it.

“You’ll think even worse of me than you do now,” he said with resignation. What’s the point in fighting if it would happen anyway?

“I promise, I won’t.”

“You will.”

“Ben.” The annoyance returned to her voice.

“You’ll just see me for who I am and leave,” he said to the floor. Wouldn’t be the first time. Everyone left. His parents, his teachers, his friends, his girlfriends. He was too intense, too clingy, too much to handle. They said he was pushing them away, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t them who was left one on one with his tumultuous emotions. Rey wouldn’t be the first.

“Benjamin Chewbacca Solo,” she hissed, shocking him by the real anger behind her words, “if you won’t stop this pity party, I will kick your ass, but I’m _not going to leave just because we have a fight_. Who do you think I am?” She looked like she meant _all_ of it. “Now talk,” his girl ordered.

He absolutely didn’t expect that. He knew how fighting was supposed to go, with screaming, banging doors and leaving. That’s what his parents had always done. But Rey was something else. She _stayed._ Ben swallowed.

“When I saw you with that guy….”

“Matt.”

“Right, Matt. He’s everything I’m not.”

Rey blinked. “Come again?” Was she really going to make him say it aloud?

“Bright, young, outgoing, cute, with a future ahead. _He_’s the man you’re supposed to be with, not me.” Ben dared to glance at her, expecting the last blow. He didn’t expect her to look that furious.

“What the fuck you are talking about?!”

“Rey, he’s perfect for you. He doesn’t have the issues I have. He doesn’t have a past,” Ben, slightly terrified, pointed out. “_I _don’t deserve you. He does.” This was supposed to be the part where she realised her mistake and left. But his girl had always defied expectations. She laughed.

“My god, you’re such a moron!” she choked out as Ben stared at her with mouth agape. “All of this because you were _jealous_?!”

“I saw how he looked at you,” he grumbled, feeling like an idiot.

Rey sighed loudly.

“Ben, Matt’s gay.”

“What?”

“He wasn’t looking at _me_, he was looking at _you_. Because you’re freaking hot, you know that?” she asked pointedly.

“I… _What?_” The words simply didn’t make sense. It was as if he entered a parallel universe.

“You are,” Rey insisted, smiling at his utterly dumbfounded expression. “We were just assigned to the same project. We are friends, nothing more. I’m not interested in him, just in you. I love _you_. I want _you_.”

He gaped at her like a fish out of water. Was this truly happening? “But Sweetheart, I…”

“Don’t you dare finish that phrase!” Rey hissed. “You have no idea what you deserve,” she enunciated, punctuating every word with a sharp jab to his chest. “You have absolutely no idea how good and worthy you are. Don’t look at me like that, you are. But it’s not about whether you _deserve_ to be with me.”

“It’s not?” Ben asked, completely stunned.

“No, idiot,” his girlfriend scoffed. “Because it’s not up to you to decide.”

“I don’t understand.”

She rolled her eyes. “You sure don’t. It’s not about you, it’s about who _I _want to be with. It’s _my _decision.”

Surely, she didn’t mean it like that. It was too good to be true.

“Rey.”

“Don’t even try. I’m a grown woman who can decide with whom she wants to be. You hear me?” she demanded.

“Yes.”

“If you don’t want me, that’s fine,” his girl continued.

“No, Sweetheart, never…”

“But if you are doing me a favour, then shut the fuck up because you have another think coming. Got it?” she asked him sternly.

Ben was nodding before he even knew it, relief flooding him. They weren’t breaking up. Somehow, he wasn’t losing her.

“Yes.”

“And the next time you want to do dumb shit like that just talk to me, OK?” The question came out much softer than the previous one.

“Promise,” he conceded, putting his hands on her waist and tugging her to him. Rey went willingly, leaning on his chest and sighing contentedly. She fit perfectly under his chin, making him want to never, ever let her go again.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Ben whispered into her hair as a hole in his heart knitted itself back together. She nuzzled his chest, then scrunched her nose adorably.

“I know. Baby,” his girl looked at him with wide eyes, “I think something is boiling.”

“Shit! Sorry, Sweetheart!” he jumped back to the pan to turn the heat down. Frankly, he would gladly let it burn, but he wouldn’t risk pissing Rey off again so soon. Her wrath was a terrifying thing. He cut the fish fillet, pushed it into the rice and scattered in the tomatoes his girl had so graciously dressed. He put the lid back on to let it cook some more. “Sorry again.”

Rey shook her head fondly. “Dummy. How can you be both so smart and so silly? Next time you get another stupid idea into your pretty head, just talk to me please.”

“Pretty? I mean, I will,” Ben quickly amended, making her smile in amusement.

“Relationships require communication.”

“I know.”

“And I want ours to last,” she looked at him seriously, meaning it.

“You do?” he asked, in awe that this gorgeous girl still wanted this, with him of all people.

Rey scoffed. “Should I give you a notarised statement?”

“A kiss would suffice,” Ben quipped.

“Moron,” his girl muttered under her breath before tugging him down to meet his lips. He didn’t dare to protest.

Surprisingly, they didn’t burn the rice. With the tapenade, basil leaves, and a light drizzle of olive oil it tasted perfectly fine. Or maybe they were just happy to make up and the food didn’t matter.

“New rules,” Rey announced.

“Whatever you want, Sweetheart,” his reply came immediately.

“You think before you speak and you talk to me before you think too much.”

“Works for me,” Ben nodded. He would do anything to make her happy.

“I’m serious about it. I don’t want to fight again,” she said solemnly, making his heart pang.

“Me neither. I’m sorry I was an ass.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more attentive,” Rey offered back.

“No more?”

“No more,” she promised. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” he kissed her palm.

“But Ben,” his girl looked him straight in the eye, “next time you do such a stupid stunt, I’ll kick your ass,” she vowed with utter conviction. His feral little sandcat, so adorable, so deadly.

“Please do, Sweetheart.” He wouldn’t mind it one bit.


	22. Dab and Asparagus Bake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's friends come over and Poe spills the beans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my amazing beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

“You didn’t have to, you know,” Rey said for the umpteenth time.

Ben just smiled and kissed her temple. Feeling guilty after their fight, he was trying his best to be the world’s most considerate boyfriend, the kind of person his precious girl deserved. And when he inevitably ended up getting on her nerves, well, that was an unfortunate side effect.

“Sweetheart, I know how much you like it when I get along with your friends, don’t deny it,” Ben smirked at her. “And since I’m not big on socializing, I would rather have them here than go wherever _Poe_ wants us to.”

“That was just one time,” she grumbled.

“One time too many,” he rolled his eyes. That nightmarish outing still made him shudder.

“_We_ didn’t know he’d take us to a strip club either,” Rey cried out indignantly, her cheeks flushed.

“A _gay_ strip club, don’t forget that. I don’t judge, but clearly I’m not the target audience.” They both were a little traumatized after that. Ben sincerely hoped that Finn and Rose had chewed the ears off their boyfriend later. How that flyboy was allowed to ever be left unsupervised he had no idea.

“Poe might be a dumbass,” Rey glared at him as he snorted at ‘might’, “but he was trying.”

“So am I. And no one will have a reason to complain after they try this fish bake,” Ben winked. “Besides, I want to make sure I’m back in Rose’s good graces, so that she won’t castrate me with rusty shears or something.” That tiny woman was fiercely protective, not a little bit terrifying, and packed one hell of a punch, as he had found out. Sure, he was happy Rey had such a loyal friend, but he would very much like to live long enough to see the next day.

His girlfriend patted his arm fondly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her. I would rather have you in one piece.”

“What a relief,” Ben muttered to himself. “So, this bake is fairly simple.”

“Famous last words,” she snorted, eyeing him from the corner of her eye.

“Aren’t you a naughty little thing today?” he wondered loudly, washing the potatoes.

“Well, someone has to balance your good boy attitude,” his girl shot back. “So what do you want me to do?”

Ben smirked, slowly checking her out from head to toe. “Hm, I wouldn’t mind having you… boil that pan of water. And don’t forget to salt it.”

“Who’s naughty now?” she smirked, doing as he asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” When the water boiled, Ben put in the potatoes to cook, then drained them and left them to steam dry. While he was waiting for them to cool he prepared a large roasting tray. “Now we need to slice them this thick, OK?”

“Sure.”

The potato slices went onto the tray and Ben drizzled them with olive oil and then grated lemon zest over them under Rey’s dubious gaze. “What?”

“Isn’t that odd?” she frowned, befuddled. “It’s not a cake, you know.”

He smirked. “Believe me, the end result will smell fantastic.”

“If you say so,” she conceded.

“Well, I hope the dill doesn’t bother you as much. We need to chop and scatter it on top, too.” In Ben’s opinion, potatoes and dill were a match made in heaven.

“This at least makes sense,” Rey grumbled, picking up her knife. After adding the herbs, she seasoned the potatoes and tossed them lightly. Ben laid the dab fillets on top and scattered cooked, peeled prawns over them.

“Sweetheart, can you grate the cheddar for the dressing?” he asked.

“Yep,” she beamed. His girl loved stealing cheese bits in the process.

Ben mixed yoghurt, mustard, and half the cheddar in a bowl and added more finely chopped dill. After he squeezed in lemon juice and mixed everything, the dressing was done.

“So, asparagus. We just need to cut off the woody ends and use a peeler to pick it into stripes. Just like this,” he showed her. Rey was a fast learner, so pretty soon she was already folding asparagus stripes into the yoghurt dressing. Ben topped each piece of dab with some of the dressed asparagus, then poured over the leftover yoghurt dressing and stepped aside to let Rey sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top. The bake was ready for the oven and it was high time to dress the table.

To tell the truth, Ben was slightly worried about this whole dinner thing. He did like Rey’s friends, they were nice, open-minded and non-judgemental people. Responsible, too, when it came to Rose or Finn. Poe, though… Despite being Ben’s age, he had the attitude of a teenager, an unfathomable love to spill or fish for very private details of one’s love life, and no inhibitions whatsoever. He was also friendly to a fault, which made it difficult to be actually mad at him, but the whole chaotic good vibe he gave really set Ben on edge. Hopefully, the food would be tasty enough to make the man shut his mouth for a bit, he thought hopefully.

Naturally, things didn’t go the way Ben hoped. While Rose praised his cooking skills and Finn discussed school with Rey, Poe was eyeing him with an evil glint in his eyes.

“So, Ben,” he started smugly, making the whole table look at him as if they were observing a train wreck in the making, “when I said that your parents wouldn’t mind hearing from you, I didn’t mean to _write_ to them,” the man smirked. Ben froze. He hadn’t even discussed his attempt to contact his family with Rey yet, the whole thing seeing too tentative to speak about, but apparently his mother had no such qualms. Sure, he got that Leia was happy to hear from him, but happy enough to inform Dameron? Under the table, Rey’s hand found his tight fist and squeezed lightly in support, making him relax marginally.

“E-mails are a valid form of communication,” Rose, bless her, pointed out.

Her flyboy boyfriend smirked wickedly.

“Who said _e-mail_? He wrote them a letter. Literally.” The man wiggled his eyebrows to drive the point home. “What are you, eighty?”

What was Ben supposed to say? He just flushed.

“Poe,” Rey sweetly interjected, “your envy of Ben’s his nice handwriting is showing.”

Dameron scoffed. “Envy? My sweet summer child, he took _calligraphy classes_, how wild is that? That hot piece of ass you’ve snatched is the ultimate nerd, just so you know.” The man made a dramatic pause, expecting some kind of reaction. The rest just blinked at him. “And anyway, who needs handwriting when we have emojis?”

“Poe Dameron, will you behave for once in your god damn life?” Rose snapped. The man in question winced. “Do you even have a concept of respect? Do you think it’s appropriate to call another person _a hot piece of ass_?”

“But objectively…”

“_Appropriate_?!”

Poe gulped. “Um, no?”

“Exactly! I know it physically pains you to keep your mouth shut, but could you please engage your brain-to-mouth filter from time to time, too? It’s not that difficult, you know.” Rose sighed loudly, looking exasperated. Poor girl had to deal with that on a daily basis. “We are going to talk about it at home, you hear me?”

Poe gulped.

“Nerdy is the new sexy,” Rey proclaimed, kissing Ben’s cheek. “And handwritten letters are more meaningful, right, baby?”

He smiled adoringly at her. How lucky was he to have this magnificent woman love him? “Right, Sweetheart.”

“You two are the cutest,” Finn shook his head fondly.

“Whatever you say, lovebirds,” Poe smirked, getting his attitude back after being appropriately chastised. “But seriously, it made Leia very happy. I thought you would want to know.”

Ben was surprised at how grateful he was to hear that. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“No problem, man,” Poe waved him off. “If you need anything, you know whom to call. You know how to use the phone, right?”

“Poe Dameron!” Rose groaned loudly, smacking him upside his head.

“I swear, we aren’t dating him, we adopted him,” Finn looked at Ben and Rey apologetically. “He’s worse than a five year old.”

“Hey, five year olds can’t drink.” Poe sounded truly offended.

Rose exasperatedly rolled her eyes.

“That’s _exactly_ what I meant,” Finn muttered under his breath.

Poe pouted for ten minutes straight after that.

All in all, Ben did enjoy himself, embarrassing questions and all. It felt really nice just to have fun with other people (friends? Were those kids his friends, too, now?), to share inside jokes, and most of all to see Rey’s happy face. Her smile was as bright as the sun and his heart dutifully skipped a bit every time he looked at her.

“Man, you’re so whipped,” Poe shook his head fondly.

Ben wrapped a possessive arm around Rey and smirked right back. “Should I film how _you _look at your boyfriend _and_ girlfriend?”

“Guilty,” he laughed. “I do love my sugarbuns.”

“And somehow we find ourselves returning the sentiment,” Finn rolled his eyes.

“God knows, it’s not easy,” sighed Rose.

“But worth it,” Poe insisted.

His life partners just hummed non-committaly.

“Totally worth it,” agreed Rey, snuggling deeper into Ben’s side.

He placed a kiss at the top of her head and sighed contentedly. Yes, totally worth it.


	23. Good and Easy Garlic Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey face a problem that can ruin their relationship. How will they get through it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another angsty chapter? Yes, considering that the author is in a foul mood, thanks to her neighbors who thought it's a great idea to flood her apartment at midnight. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is not just angsty, it ends with a cliffhanger, so if you love your conflicts resolved, you'll want to wait for the next chapter and read the two together. 
> 
> A massive shout-out to my amazing and magnificent beta fulcrum_of_pemberley, who did her fairy magic on this chapter so that it look nice and consistent. Space wizards are among us!

“I feel fantastic! Magnificent! Euphoric!”

Ben chuckled, glancing at his overly enthusiastic girl. Ever since he picked her up on his way home, she simply couldn’t stop gushing over how much pressure she had basically shed in one second. “Sweetheart, you still have one more exam to go,” he pointed out.

Rey pouted.

“Don’t remind me. Can’t I just be happy for a minute?”

“Whatever you want,” Ben promised, carelessly dropping a file Snoke wanted him to go over on the coffee table. He wasn’t in the mood right now.

“I don’t want to talk about school. At all,” his girlfriend grumbled.

“I don’t want to talk about work either,” he smiled as Rey scrunched her nose adorably.

“I don’t mind.”

“Let’s talk about something else,” he suggested.

“Like what?”

“You choose.”

Rey pensively observed him as he rid himself off his jacket and tie. “Ben?”

“Hm?”

“Have you thought about talking to your mom?”

The question made his hands still. He _had_ thought about it. Ben had lost count of how many times he’d wanted to ask for Rey’s opinion, but had refrained in the end.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” his girl added guiltily.

“I… We write each other letters,” he said finally. The mere concept still blew his mind. Neither of his parents had ever had time for him, too busy with their careers, so the mere fact that Leia Organa, who hadn’t even had time to respond to her kid’s phone calls now painstakingly handwrote him letters, was incomprehensible. She cared enough. But Ben was too afraid to find out how far her care stretched.

“I know, thanks to Poe.” Rey rolled her eyes fondly. “That man just can’t keep his mouth shut. What I mean is actual talking.”

He sighed. “It’s complicated. You know how things ended between us. I’m not sure we won’t make it worse. We all tend to speak before we think,” Ben smiled wryly.

“I see,” his girl hummed, her eyes looking right through him. “But you want to try, don’t you?”

A year ago he would have replied with a decisive ‘no’. Now, though….

“Yeah, I do,” Ben confessed quietly. “I thought about contacting her; it’d be easier than trying to talk to my father. We don’t really see eye to eye.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Rey asked softly.

“I’m not quite there yet.” He wished he were a different man, who could give his girlfriend the loving family she craved. But in reality the Organa-Solos weren’t exactly the living embodiment of her dreams and Ben… Ben wanted to do it the right way. First and foremost, for himself.

“That’s OK,” Rey smiled, kissing his cheek softly. “If you want to talk about it, you know that I’m always there for you.”

Ben wrapped her in his arms tightly. “Thank you, Sweetheart. That means the world to me.”

“You mean the world to me, too,” she mumbled, nuzzling into his chest. Their sweet moment was interrupted by the loud rumble of her stomach. “Um, what’s for dinner?” Rey asked guiltily, a pretty blush covering her cheeks.

He chuckled. “I was thinking garlic chicken. It’s a pretty simple and fast recipe.”

“Great. I’m sort of hungry,” she smiled.

“You always are,” Ben said fondly. He really enjoyed her healthy appetite.

“And on the side?” Rey asked, following him into the kitchen.

“Salad?”

“Or I think we still have some steamed broccoli,” she mused, eyeing their fridge thoughtfully.

“That will do, too,” Ben agreed. He prepared the necessary ingredients and got to cooking.

Rey observed how he picked up a skillet. “Do you need any help?”

“No, I’ve got it. But thanks anyway,” he smiled at her. The chicken really was easy. First, Ben put some butter into the skillet to melt, then added halved chicken breasts and seasoned them with salt, garlic, and onion powder. “See, no big deal,” he winked at her. “I’m just sautéing the chicken on each side and that’s it.”

“Everything is easy for space wizards,” Rey smirked.

“Whatever you say, Sweetheart.” The silly nickname had really grown on him, though Ben never confessed it aloud. He enjoyed his girlfriend’s playful side. His musing was interrupted by a shuffling sound from the living room. Rey shared a bewildered look with him and peeked out to investigate.

“Ben, your stack of work papers fell over,” she called.

“Shit! Snoke and his fucking work,” he muttered to himself, remembering how carelessly he’d dropped them earlier. “Can you just put them somewhere in my office?”

Rey frowned. “You sure? I don’t want to mess up the order or anything.”

As if it mattered at this point.

“It’s fine,” Ben reassured her. “I’ll go through them later.”

“If you say so,” his girl shrugged before leaving to fix the mess.

She took her sweet time. He had already finished cooking and Rey still hadn’t returned. What was she doing in there, putting it all in alphabetical order?

Finally, he heard her footsteps, oddly slow and hesitant. Rey was standing in the doorway with some papers in hand and an indecipherable expression on her face.

“Ben, what is this?”

“Rey?” he frowned, not understanding the change in her.

“What is _this_?” she asked insistently, her eyes boring into his.

“The papers? Wait, are those my work papers?” Ben looked at her, bewildered. What was going on?

“I asked you a question. Answer me,” his girl demanded with narrowed eyes.

“Did you go through my file?” he asked, befuddled. “Rey, why would you do that?”

“Do you have _any _idea what this is?” she snapped, so unlike his sweet girlfriend from just minutes ago.

“No, Snoke just gave them to me to go through at home. Rey, why were you going through my work papers?” Ben repeated.

“See for yourself,” she almost growled, thrusting the documents at him.

He looked confusedly through what were foreclosure papers. One of Snoke’s favourite clients, Arkanis Bank Group, had requested their help in bringing legal action against an in-default loan. A routine case, nothing out of ordinary.

“I don’t understand the problem.” Where had this sudden outrage come from?

“Your fucking company is going to take Maz’s Cantina away,” Rey spat with murder in her eyes.

Now it started to make sense. Ben checked the names. Right, the borrower, Maz Kanata, took out a loan she hadn’t been able to repay. The bank, following standard procedure, brought legal action against her. And Snoke wanted him to take the case.

“It’s not us, it’s Arkanis Bank,” he felt the need to point out. First Order wasn’t attacking Maz on purpose, they were just doing their job. The job his girlfriend wanted to strangle him for.

“Same difference. Same end result. Did you know anything about this?” she demanded.

“No, Sweetheart, I swear, I had no idea,” Ben insisted. He had a heavy enough workload as it was, he definitely hadn’t counted on more. He hadn’t counted on being attacked by his currently homicidal girlfriend, either.

Rey eyed him dubiously. “Then _why _do you have these papers?”

He sighed. “I told you, Snoke gave them to me.”

“So that you could take away Maz’s livelihood?! When you know that she’s like family to me? Like the mother I never had?” she exploded.

Ben’s temper flared in return. So he was the monster in this scenario? How about dear old Miss Kanata who mortgaged her café without consulting anyone? Was that his fault, too?

“Rey, _we_ are not taking it away,” he gritted. “She took out a loan she didn’t pay back. This,” he waved the papers, “is part of her contract. Maz knew the potential consequences when she signed it.”

“And you think I should be OK with that? That I’m just going to stand by and watch as you ruin her life?” his girl hissed, her eyes green with fury.

It was lunacy. Minutes ago she was telling him she’s his family and now he was suddenly a threat.

“You think I _want _to do this?” Ben yelled. “I’m a lawyer, it’s my fucking job! Maz didn’t fulfil her side of the agreement, she knew the consequences, it’s not like it’s my fault!”

“So you are going to do what?” Rey demanded.

“To do my job! What do you want me to do?” he snapped back.

She stared at him heavily, her chest heaving. “Turn the case down,” she bit out. “It’s a conflict of interest.”

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is! Your girlfriend works for the defendant, surely that counts.”

“Listen to me, we aren’t even married, it doesn’t,” he insisted. “Snoke doesn’t even have a concept of conflict of interest. He would have me work against my own mother and he wouldn’t fucking care.” First Order had its perks, but free will wasn’t among them.

Rey looked at him with an expression he’d never seen on her before – utter disappointment.

“So that’s how it is?” she asked quietly.

Just like that Ben lost any will to fight. “What did you expect?” he shrugged, disheartened. He knew this look. He’d seen it before, on his parents’ faces, on his uncle’s, on his former girlfriends’, on his boss’s. “You knew who I was from the beginning. This is what I do for a living every fucking day.”

“Kick innocent people to the street?” Rey asked, not able to meet his eyes. “On _Christmas Eve_?”

Ben swallowed as he checked the date on the eviction notice. December 24. “I follow the law.” Perhaps everything he did was questionably moral, but it was always, _always_ legal.

“Fuck the law!” she cried out. “Do you even have a conscience?”

“Conscience?” Ben shot back. “_I_ didn’t trick Maz into signing that contract. _I_ didn’t make her agree to the terms. It’s not _my_ fault she can’t pay it back. _I_ only do what I have to do. What do you want me to do? Sabotage the process?”

Rey looked at him with cold resolution, not even a trace of the warmth he was so used to. “Drop the case.”

“What?”

“_You heard me_.”

“It’s not even my choice, Snoke…” Ben sputtered.

“I don’t care about Snoke, only about you. I’m not asking you to quit, though heaven knows I should. Refuse to take this case,” she demanded.

Blood drained from his face. “You might as well ask me to quit. I can’t tell him no.” No one denied Snoke and surely not his own employees.

“Yes, you can. It’s the right thing to do.” Rey’s eyes were hard and merciless.

She would do mighty fine in the courtroom, he thought absently.

“Do you even hear yourself? I _can’t_ refuse my boss, I’ll lose my job.”

“So will I! Ben, I can’t make you do anything, but I can’t watch as my boyfriend takes everything away from people I care about.” Now there was a pleading note in her tone.

She was so focused on what she wanted him to do that she didn’t even hear what he was saying. She didn’t want to hear him.

“What are you saying?” he asked dumbly.

“Either your drop this case or…” Rey trailed off, shaking her head. “I can’t, Ben, I just can’t close my eyes to what you do.”

You didn’t care before, he thought to himself. “So that’s it?” This is how it would end? Not because of jealousy or insecurities, but because of things they couldn’t change? Because somehow he and the woman he loved ended up on different sides of this fight and refused to give in? She wouldn’t compromise her moral beliefs. He couldn’t risk his career. They couldn’t reconcile these differences, no matter how hard they would try. He’d seen this before.

“I don’t know.” A stray tear ran down her cheek. “I love you, but I need some space. I’m sorry.”

“Rey,” Ben called in a last desperate attempt.

She shook her head. “I’m going for a walk. Need fresh air. Don’t wait for me, I’ll stay at Finn’s.”

The front door closed, leaving him alone with his thoughts, a cold dinner, and a growing sense of despair. 


	24. Lasagna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben makes several important decisions and Rey is there to hold his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised you I'll fix it? That's what I'm doing. The angst ends here.
> 
> Warning: description of panic attack in the beginning.
> 
> As always, many thanks to my wonderful beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Ben closed his apartment door and leaned on it, struggling to take a breath. His vision swam and ears rang. His heart was beating in his throat. How could he be such a fool? Useless. Pathetic. Not worthy of his name or lineage. A waste of space. His legs gave way, forcing him to sit down inelegantly, work suit and all. What was the point of getting up? Who needed a failure?

A warm hand covered his, making him open his eyes with a start. Rey’s terrified face came into his view.

“Ben? Ben, baby, what’s wrong?” she asked urgently. “Talk to me.”

A new wave of self-disgust and nausea hit him full-force. Why did _she _have to see him like this? She should have left him ages ago. “I…” he croaked, “I’m a moron.” The truth knocked the last air from his lungs.

“What? No! No, Sweetheart!” Rey frantically knelt next to him. “Breathe,” she commanded. “In, and out. Good. Just breathe. I’m here, I’m with you,” she soothed him as he struggled for air. “Are you with me? Stay with me.”

Ben clung to her voice like a lifeline, relying on it to guide him back out of the darkness.

“Can you speak? Name five things you can see.”

“You,” he croaked. “The floor. The wall. The shoe rack. Another wall.” The black dots stopped dancing in front of his eyes. Somehow it helped his panic abate. His lungs expanded again.

“Good. Very good. It’s OK, you’re safe,” Rey murmured soothingly. “Can you stand?”

Ben nodded. She carefully helped him to his feet.

“Come on.”

He was sitting on a kitchen stool. Why was he sitting there? How had he even gotten there? Rey fetched him a cup of water.

“Drink.”

He complied. The cold liquid did wonders for his parched throat; the cool glass in his hand grounded him. Ben’s breathing evened out. He was home from work, in his own kitchen, and somehow Rey was still here. _She hadn’t left him_. Judging from the amount of cookies and cakes littering every available surface, his girl had spent the day stress-cooking. _Just like he would do. _

“What happened?” Rey asked quietly.

Ben’s gut squeezed in shame. She was looking at him with such worry and he.… 

“I’m a failure.”

“That’s not true.”

Her voice was firm and full of conviction, like she was stating a fact. How could this girl show so much faith in him after everything?

“It is. I…” He swallowed, thinking about the magnitude of what he’d done. “I quit.”

Rey gasped. “Oh, Ben. Baby, look at me.”

It took a lot to meet her eyes. Oddly, she wasn’t angry or disappointed. Her small hand caressed his cheek, pulling the words out of him.

“We had the weekly meeting and I...” Ben swallowed, “told Snoke I couldn’t take Maz’s case. He asked why.”

“You told him why it’s a conflict of interest,” Rey guessed.

“I did. And he…” His hands clenched involuntarily. “He said I was a fool. That you were just using me.”

“That’s not true!” she insisted, as if he needed her reassurance.

“I know, Sweetheart. Snoke wasn’t pleased.” Ben chuckled bitterly. “He called you... things. Me, too. He said I was -_am_\- useless, stupid, a good for nothing idiot.”

“Lies,” Rey countered with so much fire he was taken aback.

“It’s true, though. That I’m weak,” Ben continued, a bitter smile tugging his lips.

“And then you quit.”

“And then I quit. Because I’m a good for nothing weak idiot, obviously,” he said dejectedly.

“No!” Rey looked him straight in the eye with absolute conviction. “Ben, no! You quit a toxic, abusive environment; it takes true strength to do what you did.”

How could she be so blind? In the end, he failed everyone. Her, his family, her boss, himself... “And for what? I’m nothing without Snoke.”

“That’s what _he_ wants you to think,” she scoffed angrily. “You’re a smart, strong, and capable person; you’re one of the best lawyers around and all of that you did on your own. Not because of your parents or uncle or boss, but because of who _you_ are. _Why can’t you see it_?”

Her tone made Ben look at her in awe. Despite everything, this amazing, incredible girl still stood by his side. Still fought for him. “Rey,” he breathed reverently.

She abruptly thrust a jar of tomato sauce at him.

“Open,” the girl demanded, making him move. “_You _conquered law school.” Rey took the open jar back to add the contents to a pan and handed him some mozzarella. “Grate. _You_ worked those horrible hours. _You_ won the cases. Not Snoke, _you_.”

As always, a simple task calmed him down. He could do what she needed even if he couldn’t be what she needed.

“And now I’m an unemployed loser,” Ben snorted. 

“And now you have a chance to _choose_ whom to work for,” his girl countered.

“No one around here will hire me after Snoke-”

“Let me guess, _he_ told you that?” Rey interjected pointedly.

“Yes, but…”

She sighed with exasperation. “Ben, Snoke doesn’t actually run the whole town, he’s just gaslighted you to think so. He’s always there, whispering in your ear, you simply can’t see that he’s manipulating you. Your boss fed you enough half-lies until you couldn’t tell left from right.”

He blinked. This train of thought hadn’t occurred to him before. No one questioned Snoke’s words, so no one knew how many of them were true. All those times his parents tried to warn him, in those exact words… Were they right all this time? “Sweetheart…”

His girl was ready to rebuff whatever he was going to say, but the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Rey waved for him to sit. “I’ll get it.”

As soon as Ben heard the muffled voices, though, he followed. He should have expected that his ex-colleagues wouldn’t see him go so easily.

“Ren,” Hux barked from the door, unable to pass a very pissed, very protective Rey.

“No,” she gritted.

Ben narrowed his eyes. “Get out.”

“Hello to you, too,” Phasma commented wryly from behind Hux.

“I said _get out_. I’m not coming back. Ever.” Of all things, this one was solid and clear.

“Well, maybe you should tone down your dramatic self…” the ginger began.

“Oh, for God’s sake!” Rey snapped

“Get out!”

“We quit!” Everyone turned to Mitaka who was shyly peering from behind his tall colleagues.

“_What_?” Ben was completely flabbergasted.

“Quit, you moron,” Hux snidely repeated. “That’s what I was trying to tell you.”

“How?”

“May we come in?” Phasma asked Rey politely.

She exchanged glances with Ben before moving aside to let them enter.

“Speak.”

“After you left, our dearest boss enlightened us on what he really thought of you,” Hux informed him with a pinched expression.

“Nothing new.”

“And of me. And then he got to Gwen,” the ginger’s face turned downright murderous, making Phasma scoff.

“No big deal.”

“He basically called you a whore!” Hux gritted with fury, making Ben wonder what exactly was going on between his colleagues.

The blonde rolled her eyes. “If I believed everything coming from middle-aged white men, my life would be far more complicated.”

“_You think I would let anyone treat the woman I love like that_?!”

Oh. That was unexpected. Apparently, Armitage Hux was capable of feelings. Who knew?

Gwen’s eyes softened. “You didn’t, silly.”

“No, I didn’t,” the ginger replied equally softly, staring at her with such adoration that Ben began to wonder how he could have _not _noticed this before.

“So while the two of them yelled at each other, we gathered our things and left,” Mitaka piped in, handing Ben a cardboard box. “You forgot your stuff, boss-man.”

He automatically took it, his mind reeling. “So… we all quit. Now what?”

His former colleagues stared at him. “That’s what we’re asking.”

“What’s your plan?” Hux questioned.

“My plan?”

The ginger rolled his eyes. “You told Snoke to go fuck himself in extremely explicit detail. Anyone who does that must have a plan.”

“Unless it’s an elaborate suicide attempt,” Phasma supplied helpfully.

Ben’s blank expression gave him away.

“Oh shit,” she muttered.

“Kylo?” Hux prodded him.

Ben worked his jaw. “I didn’t. I don’t have a plan.”

“Fuck.” The man pinched the bridge of his nose. “We all are in deep, deep shite.”

“Or not.” Everyone turned to Rey, actually remembering she was there, too.

“Girlie, First Order is a top law firm and we just...”

“And you’re its best lawyers,” she countered. “Other firms will _fight_ to get you.”

“She’s not exactly wrong,” Mitaka supplied.

“That is, unless you want to start your own business.” Rey’s stare challenged them.

No one dare to disagree. Could they actually do that on their own? Would they?

Phasma chuckled, breaking up the tension. “I _love_ your girlfriend.”

“Get in line,” Ben grumbled, wrapping his arms around Rey protectively under the blonde’s laughing gaze.

“You all have time to decide,” his girl continued. “But Maz doesn’t.”

Hux eyed her with interest. “What do you suggest? One last fuck you to Snoke?”

The girl took a deep breath. “Ben, call your mom.”

Of course Rey was right. Leia Organa, activist, heiress to two political dynasties, and sister of a famous lawyer, knew all the right people and all the possible ways out. It was a logical decision. A simple one. But Maker, it wasn’t easy.

While his girl was offering tea and cake to their guests, Ben was gathering his courage to actually press the call button. One small move was all it took.

“Hello?”

For a second, he didn’t recognize the voice; it had become a bit lower, throatier. “Mom?” he asked.

Leia gasped. “Benny? Is that you? Are you all right?”

Immense relief flooded him. After all these years, the first thing she wanted to know was whether he was OK. “Yes?” Ben let out a watery chuckle. “Mom, I quit.”

“Did you..?”

“Yes.”

“Thank God,” Leia breathed out.

“But I need your help.”

“Where are you?” she turned her business mode on immediately.

Ben told her the address.

“I’ll be there in thirty.”

Ben didn’t expect Leia to be so tiny. Was it her larger-than-life personality? Or was it he who had grown up? He didn’t expect to see so many new wrinkles or grey streaks in her hair either.

“Mom?” he whispered.

“Oh, Benny!” Leia all but flung herself at him, abruptly reminding him why she was still a force to be reckoned with.

For such a small woman, his mother made him stumble. She squeezed him in a bear hug without any intention of letting go. They stood together, mother and son, learning how it was to be in each other’s space again. Finally, after several throats cleared politely, they reluctantly separated.

Ben caught his girl beaming at them with wet eyes.

“Mom, that’s…”

“Rey,” Leia smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

The girl flushed. “Nice to meet you.”

“And my colleagues Gwen Phasma, Armitage Hux, and Dopheld Mitaka,” Ben introduced them. “My mother, Leia Organa.”

“A pleasure. Hux?” she raised an eyebrow. “Any relation..?”

The ginger winced. “Unfortunately.”

“They…” Ben paused, “_we_ quit.”

“I see,” his mother hummed pensively. “Do you need me to…”

“It’s not about me,” he interjected quickly. “Do you remember Maz Kanata?”

Leia’s eyebrows raised. “Maz? Of course I do. Why?”

Ben exchanged glances with Rey. “I think it’s better if we all sit down.”

It took a while to give her a full recount of everything: Rey’s suspicions, Snoke’s documents, Arkanis Bank (headed by none other than Hux Senior) and its involvement, the foreclosure, the quitting, everything.

“And here we are,” Ben finished.

“And here you are.” Leia shook her head. “Maz, you stubborn independent ass, how did you get in such a mess? How did _you_ get into such a mess?” the older woman questioned them.

“Teen rebellion?” Phasma suggested with a wry smile.

Leia scoffed. “You kids. Give me a second.” She fished out her phone only to start barking orders into it unexpectedly. “Han! Drop everything and go to Cantina. I don’t care if it’s your bowling night, take Chewie, too. And while you’re there, ask his girlfriend why she is going to be evicted. Exactly. Off you go.” She ended the call, turning back to them. “Now you, kids. I assume you’re technically jobless?”

“You might say that,” Hux supplied.

Leia nodded. “I see. What are you going to do?”

Ben shrugged. “Undecided.”

“We were going to help Ky- Ben,” Mitaka put in.

“Hm.”

“And he’s currently in the mood for saving damsels in distress,” Phasma commented wryly.

“Might as well flip Snoke out one last time,” Hux smirked.

“Is your father OK with that?” Leia frowned at the ginger, who scoffed.

“Last time I saw him he disowned me, so no big deal.”

The older woman blinked in surprise. “Hm. I might be able to hook you up with the Resistance. What would you say?”

“No.”

Everyone frowned.

“Ben?”

“I won’t work for Luke again,” he said as evenly as possible. Leia gently took his hand.

“Honey, Luke doesn’t practice law anymore.”

He hadn’t expected to hear that. The fearsome Luke Skywalker, champion of the light, stopped practicing? “What?”

His mother sighed. “He had a change of heart or maybe a mid-life crisis, who knows.” Leia rolled her eyes. “Luke quit. He has a farm on Ahch-To now, with llamas and those peculiar big-eyed birds.”

Ben had the distinct feeling he’d stopped understanding English. “Llamas?” he asked faintly.

Leia frowned. “Or alpacas, I can never remember. He says they give the best milk. Makes green smoothies and stuff.”

Ben didn’t say anything. It was difficult to talk with his jaw on the floor anyway.

“So who are you going to hook us up with?” Phasma interjected smoothly.

“Amylin Holdo.”

Ben blinked. “Auntie Amy?”

“You forgot she’s a lawyer, too?” his mother smirked. “And a damn good one.”

“But not in Corporate Law?” Hux clarified.

“Civil Rights.”

The ginger nodded. “We’ll take it.”

Leia was already tapping on her phone. “Let me make a few calls.”

“A few calls” took several hours. At some point Rey slipped out of the room with a murmured “dinner” and a kiss to his cheek, returning only to replenish their tea and coffee cups. Leia called in a few favours and dropped a few names, they all had a very intense brainstorming session over the documents that Mitaka, bless him, had had enough presence of mind to copy before he left, and in the end they had a strategy. Raw and unpolished, yes, but a workable real strategy. They were no longer afloat, they had an aim. And Cantina had a chance to live to see another day.

They were arranging the documents when Rey peeked into the room.

“Dinner is ready. Do you want to eat?”

Their guests exchanged glances. “We probably should go.”

The words left his mouth before Ben even realised it. “No, please stay. I insist. It’s the least I can do.”

“I hope you like lasagne,” Rey added with a shy smile.

That did it. In no time they were all served and Ben’s colleagues were loudly approving the dish.

Leia’s eyes glistened. “Is this… Padme’s recipe?”

“Yes,” he nodded, knowing how much it meant to his mom.

“Ben taught me how to make it,” his girl looked at him adoringly, making his heart skip a beat.

Leia smiled at the display. “You’re a good cook, dear,” she praised.

“The best,” Ben wholeheartedly agreed.

His mother was the last one to leave, lingering to give him one last hug, even though he’d made it clear that Leia was welcome there again.

“Don’t worry about anything. I promise, we’ll get through this,” the tiny woman kept insisting.

Ben smiled at her fondly.

“I know. Thank you for this again.”

Leia patted his cheek lovingly. “That’s what family is for. I made a lot of mistakes with you, Honey, I won’t do it again.”

Her confession cut through him. She wasn’t a saint, but neither was Ben. “Mom, I’m so sorry.”

“Hush, silly. Let bygones be bygones,” Leia whispered into his chest.

“Love you, Mom.”

“I know, honey, I love you, too.” She wiggled out of his grip to wrap Rey in a hug. “And you, young lady. Thank you for everything and welcome to the family. I hope I’ll see you both at one of our Sunday dinners?” Leia asked tentatively.

Ben nodded, feeling lighter than he’d been in years. “I promise.”

After, Rey quietly wrapped her arms around his middle. “How are you?”

He considered his answer for a few moments, realising there’d been a profound change within him. “Good. _Free_. Thank you, Sweetheart.” He looked at his gorgeous girl with all the love and adoration he felt.

She beamed back.

“Thank _you_. You’re the hero here.”

“Sweetheart, you confuse me with my mom,” Ben chuckled. “Besides, it’s you who had my back like a knight in shining armour.”

“And I will again. You do the same for me,” Rey pointed out, raising on her toes to claim his lips.

He touched her forehead with his, smiling softly. “Always.”


	25. Gluten-free Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How is Ben doing after going through quite a bit of stress recently? Pretty good, it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas chapter in February? Well, it's not midsummer yet. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> A shout-out to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

The ‘Kiss the cook’ apron flattered Rey immensely. Well, everything flattered her, if Ben was honest with himself. She was equally gorgeous with or without clothes, though that last train of thought wasn’t particularly appropriate for the kitchen setting. His girl also had powdered sugar on her adorable freckled nose, tempting him to give in to her apron’s urges.

Ben didn’t, though. Last time he tried, the love of his life swatted him with a kitchen towel, too focused for such nonsense. It’s Christmas, she said. The cookies wouldn’t bake themselves, she said. As if he cared. Baking was as good as any hobby, but some activities were just superior. Full stop.

“Sweetheart, you sure we need even more cookies?” he asked carefully, as Rey started greasing trays for another batch. His girl huffed impatiently.

“Ben, it’s Christmas, it’s _tradition_.”

He rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, almost ruining the piping on the gingerbread house he was so painstakingly decorating. “Rey, we’re going to a massively loud _party _for Christmas Eve, there’s nothing traditional about it.”

The barely hidden trepidation in the word ‘party’ made her smile. “I think your dad is a genius,” she smirked.

Ben couldn’t deny that. It was Han’s suggestion to throw a massive party at Cantina on the night of her scheduled eviction, after it became clear that Arkanis Bank wouldn’t back off, even though Maz repaid the loan in full with Leia’s help. Those big-wigs naively thought that a helpless old lady alone in her apartment over her café on a holiday night was a perfect target. Well, they clearly didn’t know Maz Kanata or the company she kept. Whoever was coming (especially without a court order) was in for a treat.

“He sure is when it comes to fucking with authorities,” Ben snorted. Han had made it his life’s goal to toe the line between legal and illegal. Sometimes it was a really useful skill.

Rey pinched her lips, adding the margarine, peanut butter, and sugar to the bowl. “I can’t believe those horrible people really want to kick a helpless woman out of her home. On Christmas Eve, no less.” She shook her head disapprovingly. “Poor Armitage. To grow up with such a father….”

Ben carefully ignored the last comment, preferring not comment on anyone else’s daddy issues. “That’s Arkanis Bank for you. Cantina must be worth a fortune for them to make so much fuss. Usually they only want their money back.”

That was the only logical explanation for why the bank was so relentless and willing to take every legal shortcut possible. Too bad for them that the First Order had suddenly lost three of their best lawyers.

“You sure Maz will be OK?” Rey peered at him with wide eyes, stopping mid-beating the mass in her bowl.

Ben smiled at her gently.

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart, Amilyn is personally on the case.” And that lady was nothing but thorough. “With the loan paid back in full, Arkanis has no chance. Worst case. Maz will get fined, that’s all.”

“That’s good to know.” Rey flushed a little. “I’m not good at legal stuff.”

“I’m even worse with engineering, so.…” Ben chuckled a bit self-deprecatingly. It had taken him quite a while to make sure all the details of his gingerbread house actually fit together. Math was the stuff of nightmares, no doubt.

“Good thing you have me,” his girl beamed.

He simply couldn’t resist the desire to kiss her anymore.

“The best thing.”

Wasn’t he a lucky bastard? He’d landed himself a girlfriend who was smart, cute, cuddly, and a great baker, too. She was one in a million, his Rey.

Ben watched with appreciation as she skilfully folded into the fluffy mixture eggs, rice flour, and ground almonds. It was only when she started chopping the chocolate that he got a distinctive sense of déjà vu. “Rey,” he frowned, “again?”

She bit her lip innocently, making very convincing puppy dog eyes. “Just one more batch. It’s peanut butter and chocolate chip,” his girl pouted.

“And you’ve made those already.”

“But this one is gluten-free!”

Ben shook his head in amusement. “Sweetheart.”

“You’re one to talk,” Rey grumbled, as she spooned the batter onto the tray. “You’re decorating a freaking_ gingerbread house_.”

He lifted his eyebrow in question. “So?”

His girl scrunched her nose adorably. “Ben, it’s too_ pretty_ to eat. I don’t think Maz would want to ruin such a magnificent thing either,” she pointed out, making him smile.

“Oh, Sweetheart, it’s not for Maz, it’s for you.” He relished the sight of absolute awe on her face. Who knew that such a small thing would make her so happy?

“Baby?” Rey gasped, looking at him with the elation of a five-year old.

Ben shrugged, as if it were no big deal. “I’ve never had an opportunity to make one, though I always wanted to, and then I got too old. But now I have you-”

Whatever else he wanted to say was lost as his girl launched herself into his arms and claimed his lips. Not that he minded for a second.

“You’re sweet,” she murmured, smiling as they parted, their foreheads touching.

“I might have stolen a cookie,” Ben smirked.

Rey eyed him with a glint in her eyes, then leaned in, kissing him more thoroughly this time around.

“Ginger and cinnamon?” she asked cheekily.

“And almond cranberry,” he winked.

“Hmm.” His girl kissed him again. “I see. Someone loves my cookies.”

“I do,” Ben confirmed fondly. “My little baker.”

“My _big_ baker,” Rey teased him, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Sorry, duty calls,” she smiled as the oven timer went off. “Don’t want to mess it up.”

“Sweetheart, relax.”

“It’s _Christmas_, I want it to be perfect,” she insisted stubbornly as she pulled away, making Ben laugh.

“Rey, Sweetheart, what’s the most important thing in Maz’s parties?”

His girl paused and frowned for a second until something in her head clicked. “Booze.”

“Booze,” Ben confirmed, content that nothing had changed since he had been a kid. “It doesn’t matter what or how much you bring because…”

“Booze,” Rey supplied with a sigh.

“Booze. And trust me, Uncle Lando is coming.”

She glanced at him questioningly. “You’re saying that like I should be scared.”

Ben snorted. “Not really. He’s just a terrible flirt and really knows his alcohol. You’ll like him. Everyone does.”

“Not as much as I like you,” his girl smiled.

“I should hope so. Your friends are coming?”

“Yep. Rose is bringing along Paige. And Poe invited…” Rey paused, “half the city, I think?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Sounds like him. Mom asked a couple of her old political friends as a favour, too. Hux and Phaz are bringing champagne, the good stuff.”

“He _really _doesn’t get along with his father if he’s so enthusiastic,” Rey mused.

“You have no idea,” he muttered. “So, Sweetheart, how about we get ready while the last batch is cooling?”

She nodded eagerly. “I still can’t believe you agreed to an Ugly Christmas Sweater.”

“Me neither.” A year ago Ben would never have worn such a thing, let alone the one matching his girlfriend’s. On the other hand, a year ago he didn’t have a girlfriend, so.… Good thing this year _wasn’t_ the same as the last one. So he just followed Rey to their bedroom like a lovesick puppy, smiling all the way.

The party was a riot. At least the part Ben actually remembered. He caught on to the fact that Lando had spiked the punch too late and, despite his size, he didn’t handle alcohol that well. Some memories simply blurred together.

It was the first time in years the whole Organa-Solo extended family (sans the Skywalker part) had ended up under one roof without causing a disaster. Or perhaps Ben simply couldn’t remember that part either. What he did remember was having fun with Rey and their friends, a dance with his mom that required him to bend in half, an impromptu heart-to-heart with his dad (courtesy of Corellian whiskey), and silly competitions and games- things he hadn’t done in ages. It was worth every ounce of the headache he had the next day.

Somehow, Maz hadn’t gotten evicted. No bank representatives had graced them with their presence. Then again, all guests were handed a shot as soon as they entered, so there was a fair chance they had simply got drawn into the celebration. Well, that had been the plan to begin with.

In true Christmas spirit, Arkanis Bank lost the case, which might or might not have had something to do with Snoke losing his best lawyers. Either way, Maz’s livelihood, as well as Rey’s job, was secure. Surprisingly, Ben’s was, too. Amilyn gladly welcomed the First Order defectors, knowing full well that she was the one to acquire real assets. For the first time, he found himself doing something he genuinely enjoyed, without having a creepy old dude breathing down his neck. A refreshing change, to say the least. Along with his slow but steady reconciliation with his parents, this was one of the best changes for him in recent years, second only to meeting Rey. Something in his life had irrevocably turned for better the moment Ben had opened his door to find her on the other side. Now he knew without a doubt that the next year was going to be the best of his life.


	26. Spiced Sea Bass with Caramelized Fennel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flirty fluff for those who missed this story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back! It's me with the new chapter.   
As always, many thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley for being a very sweet beta.

It’s amazing how a simple change of environment can improve your whole life. Ben found himself humming something cheerful as he began cooking. Surprisingly, he was in a good mood. He had been in a good mood all day long. Hell, he had been in a good mood for _weeks_, something that hadn’t ever happened to him when he was with FO. His new boss, who coincidentally responded to _Auntie Amy_ (not in the work environment, mind you), was nice. So were his new colleagues at Raddus Legal. His old new colleagues were nice, too. Ben had seen Hux with an unbuttoned collar for the first time in his life. More shocking than that, he had seen Gwen holding hands with him _in public_. Even poor Mitaka forgot about his eye twitch. Their working hours became reasonable, as much as lawyers’ hours could be. Life was good. So damn good.

“Hmm.”

Ben paused from cutting fennel into wedges, instead turning to his gorgeous girlfriend who was watching him with an indecipherable expression.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Rey smiled cheekily.

She was so beautiful like this, with her dimples showing. How she hadn’t ended up as an actress with such a smile was a true miracle.

“Seriously, what?” he prodded her, his curiosity piqued.

His sweet girl giggled. “Nothing.”

Ben shook his head in amusement as he put butter and a splash of olive oil into a pan over low heat. “Then why are you smiling like that?”

Rey grinned, clearly enjoying herself. “I'm just happy.”

“And why is that?” he teased her, dropping the fennel into the hot pan. As if the prospect of dinner wasn’t enough to make her ecstatic. His girl _loved_ her food.

“Because _you're_ happy,” she responded simply, wrapping her arms around him from behind and nuzzling his back. “And I love seeing you like that.”

Her admission warmed his heart. Ben turned around, kissing the top of her head fondly. “I'm always happy with you,” he confessed.

“Now you're happy even without me,” Rey pointed out, eyeing him coyly from under her lashes. “Admit it, you like your new job.”

He laughed. What did he do to deserve the little minx? “I fucking love my new job. But not as much as you,” Ben proclaimed before eagerly ducking to taste her lips. To his chagrin, his precious girl cut the kiss short.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Solo,” she informed him with a businesslike tone, looking impossibly adorable like this.

“Oh really?” Ben wondered, slightly befuddled. “And where was I going?”

“Somewhere you won't get until dinner is ready,” Rey said sternly, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

He dramatically pressed his hands to his chest. “You wound me, my lady.”

The lady scoffed. “You'll survive.”

Ben tried his hardest not to laugh at her antics, instead schooling his face into a mask of despair. “La belle dame sans merci,” he proclaimed with the world’s most terrible French accent.

“I'm not sure I got that reference,” Rey frowned, “but waxing poetic won't help you.”

“The way to your heart is through your stomach.” Ben lifted his hands in mock-surrender, eliciting a laugh out of her. At this point he was completely certain it was his favorite sound in the whole world. 

Making a show of the depth of his despair, he let her go and picked up the knife to score two nice gutted and scaled seabasses on each size.

“Smart boy,” Rey praised him, kissing his cheek in reward. She picked up a clove of garlic and started to peel it. “How was work?

Ben smiled, something he never did when asked about work not so long ago. “Good. We're still adjusting, but it's really great so far.” Both he and his colleagues were still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it seemed that everything about Raddus Legal was above-board. It was something to get used to after FO.

“And that fucker?” his girl asked, chopping the garlic particularly viciously at the word.

That fucker, also known as that piece of shit, that prick, that arsehole, and Snoke, was the only dark spot in Ben’s life. Admittedly, a very small and quickly diminishing spot. His ex-boss, upon realizing that he had managed to lose all of his top employees, had made it his mission to bully them into returning. Too bad that neither Ben, Hux, Phasma, nor Mitaka would touch FO again with a ten-foot pole. Over time, Snoke’s threats had become more and more desperate and absurd, like the man himself. They chose to ignore them completely. It’s not like he could actually force them to return.

“He's now resorted to sending strong-worded emails,” Ben snorted. Snoke didn’t know how to lose or to accept the loss. The once omnipotent man now seemed pathetic. How Ben could have let himself remain blinded for so long he had no idea. “Don't worry, spam filters exist for a reason.”

“Hope so,” Rey sighed, grating the lemon zest. He leaned in to sweetly kiss her temple.

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart, he can’t do anything.”

“He’d better not, I’m very proficient with knives now,” she grumbled, making him laugh.

“My murder baby,” Ben praised his belligerent girlfriend fondly, starting to chop a chili.

“What? ” Rey asked with very disgruntled expression. “I can’t stake my claim on my man?”

“You can and you should,” he responded with an amused smile, rubbing the fish all over with a garlic, chili, and lemon zest mix. “You know how much I like it when you go all territorial.”

His girlfriend glared at him. “Last time I did you called me a_ feral little sand goblin_!”

“Excuse me, I called you _my_ feral little sand goblin, no need to kink-shame me,” Ben pouted, a perfect picture of wounded feelings.

Rey side-eyed him. “Ass.”

“You love it,” he shot right back, seasoning the fish with sea salt and black pepper.

“Your ass?” she smiled cheekily. “Guilty.”

“And here I hoped you fell for my winning personality,” Ben mumbled in mock-offence, slicing the lemon to put it into the fish cavities.

“You wish,” Rey snorted, eyeing him coyly. “It was some other assets of yours.” To drive the point home, she gently smacked said asset, making him jump with surprise.

“What the hell?!” Ben yelled as his girlfriend bent in two from laughter. “I was holding a knife! I could have cut something!”

“Sorry, babe,” she smiled, looking very pleased with herself and not the least bit guilty. “You looked like you needed a good teasing.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Sweetheart, you’re poking the beast,” Ben warned her.

Rey answered with an eyeroll. “Oh yes, I’m really afraid of hamsters.”

Ben didn’t respond to that outrageous provocation immediately. He put the seabass into the oven, set the timer, washed his hands, stirred the fennel, then turned to his girl with a darkened expression. “OK, Sweetheart, you had it coming.”

Rey squealed in delight and dashed out of the kitchen with Ben hot on her heels. This dinner wasn’t going the way he thought. He didn’t complain, though.

They both returned to the kitchen by the time the fish was cooked, significantly disheveled and wearing matching grins.

“Just for the record, we could have very well burnt the food,” Ben informed his girl as he served her the seabass with nicely caramelized fennel.

Rey beamed, although whether was it directed at him or the food remained unclear.

“Totally worth it,” she smiled, stuffing her mouth full immediately.

He couldn’t find it in himself to disagree. Everything about Rey was worth it.


	27. Paella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is worried about having his parents over for diner. Rey thinks he's overreacting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of fluff to cheer myself up since I'm a little heartbroken over missing the apricot trees in full bloom because of this pesky quarantine. Life is tough (
> 
> As always, a shout-out to my amazing beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Turn the oven on. Check. Get chicken thighs. Check. Quarter them. Check. Season with salt. Check. Pepper. Check. Dust with flour. Check.

“Ben?”

Get the pan. Check. Turn on the heat. Check. Splash some oil. Check.

“Hey, you OK?”

Ben blinked at his precious girlfriend who looked at him with concern. Why would she do that? He shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Look at me,” Rey pleaded, cupping his face gently and scrutinizing him. The frown on her face wasn’t supposed to be this adorable, but somehow it was. “Are you _nervous_?” she asked incredulously.

He scoffed. “Well, yes. It’s my _parents_ we are talking about.”

Now Rey was blinking with deep befuddlement, the frown even more pronounced on her delicate features. “Baby, I’ve already met your parents. We’ll be fine.”

Ben rolled his eyes as he deposited the chicken into the pan. “So you say. We haven’t had them _over_ yet.”

His girlfriend obviously wasn’t getting it. “And?”

“What do you mean _and_?” he sputtered. “They will be _here_ to point out every single thing wrong.”

Rey stared at him for a few long moments. “Is this about me?” she asked quietly, vulnerability palpable in her voice.

Ben dropped the spatula he was holding.

“_What?_ Of course not, don’t be ridiculous.” He grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in her eyes. “You’re the only thing in my life they genuinely approve of.”

His girl rolled her eyes. “Do you even hear yourself? You are a grown man, a successful professional, in a stable relationship, and you _can cook_. Ben, you’re literally every mother’s dream,” she insisted.

He sighed. Not everything in his life was so picture-perfect. “Yeah, and not so long ago I worked for evil incarnate and didn’t even pick up my mom’s calls.” Ben knew how it was in his family. It was always smiles and jokes around other people, but when they weren’t in public, the jabs and subtle accusations started. Eventually it always circled back to him, how he could have done better, could have tried harder, could have been more understanding, more accommodating. So far neither Leia nor Han had reverted back to that behavior, but they hadn’t all been alone together yet. Now that the novelty of the family reunion had evaporated, Ben was terrified of being under their scrutiny again.

After the the chicken turned golden brown all over, he transferred it to a baking tray and placed it in the oven. He broodily passed Rey chorizo to slice and started chopping onion and garlic, studiously ignoring the glances his girlfriend sent his way. Ben was reaching for the parsley when she huffed loudly.

“OK, that’s enough.” Rey put aside her knife and turned to him abruptly. “Listen here,” she demanded, punctuating her words with jabs to his chest. “You are _good_. You are _worthy_. You are _loved_. _I _love you.”

At that she dragged him down into a searing kiss that promptly knocked any other thoughts out of Ben’s mind. He simply couldn’t _not_ react to her, his gorgeous magnificent girl.

“I love you, too, Sweetheart,” he whispered tenderly, peppering her cheeks with kisses.

Rey smirked.

“Then get your head out of your ass and help me.”

Ben laughed. This woman was going to be the death of him. He put the pan back on the heat, adding the chorizo and pancetta to fry.

“I just don’t want to disappoint them again,” he murmured after a while, adding the onion, garlic, and parsley. “Mom always gets this look, and Dad…”

Rey froze, hovering with saffron over the chicken stock, turning to him. “You won’t, you just won’t,” she insisted stubbornly, putting the stock on to heat. “You’re perfect.”

Ben shook his head in amazement. How had he ended up this lucky to call this incredible creature his? “I don’t deserve you.”

His girlfriend glared at him with annoyance. “Baby, this comes from a place of deepest love, but you are _a moron_.”

“Your moron,” he grinned and leaned in to kiss her pert nose.

“Precisely,” Rey answered with satisfaction, kissing him properly this time.

When everything in the pan softened, Ben added smoked paprika, rice, and the saffron-infused stock and left it all to cook on medium heat.

His girlfriend admired his work with interest.

“See? You’re good at this. You’re good with anything. You’ve got it.” Rey nuzzled his back in support. “And if someone has anything to say I’ll fight them,” she announced belligerently.

Ben laughed so hard he started coughing. “I’m not being funny, I have no problem fighting for my boyfriend. Even if I have to fight _you_,” she added meaningfully. _Dummy_ hung in the air, unspoken.

“Yes, you’re a terrifying adversary,” Ben murmured into her hair, after turning around to wrap his arms around her properly.

“You’d better not forget it,” Rey mumbled back.

When the time was up, he added peas, prawns, and the remaining stock to the pan and cooked it under the lid for another ten minutes. Finally, he added the chicken and the meal was done. It was time to set the table.

“I can’t believe my boy can cook like this,” Han praised loudly, as if the velocity of his eating wasn’t enough of a compliment. Though, of course he was far behind Rey. Everyone was.

“He got it from me,” Leia piped in. “Han has two left hands,” she added sotto voce, making the girl giggle.

The man side-eyed his wife in mock indignation. “Only when it comes to cooking, Princess. Otherwise they are perfectly functional.”

“Whatever you say,” Leia responded with an eyeroll.

“So, Rey, tell us about yourself,” Han expertly diverted the conversation from his cooking prowess. Years of marriage had taught him a thing or two on how to distract his wife.

She smiled shyly. “Not much to tell.”

“Well, so far we know that you’re everything good and pure in this world and this one,” he nodded with a smirk toward a flustered Ben, “is completely smitten with you. I bet there’s more.”

Rey blinked at him, unsure what to do with that information. “Um…”

“How did you two meet?” Leia interjected with interest.

Ben glanced at his girlfriend who smiled at him lovingly.

“That’s a funny story, I used to live in the next building and we had a similar address. My mail ended up here by mistake,” Rey reminisced.

“I opened the door and she was on the other side looking like an angel,” Ben added with a grin, remembering the day.

“And he was holding a knife,” his girlfriend snorted. “Not very verbose, either.”

“Hey, you were so gorgeous, I didn’t know what to do,” he pouted, not caring about his parents who watched with rapt attention.

Rey rolled her eyes. “You asked me to dinner.”

“Ben asked you out at the first meeting?” Han asked incredulously, eyeing his son with newfound respect.

The girl laughed.

“No, no, he asked me to share the meal he was cooking. Best spaghetti of my life.”

“You remember?” Ben asked in amazement. After all this time?

She huffed. “Obviously. A cute guy fed me a homemade meal. I was _smitten_,” Rey beamed, showing off her dimples.

Oh, how he loved her smile.

“You _did_ ask me to marry you,” he said smugly, earning a smack to his arm from his previously tranquil girlfriend.

“Hey! That was an accident,” she yelped indignantly. “The food was out of this world, seriously,” Rey told his deeply amused parents.

“I see,” Leia smiled mischievously, looking between the two of them. “And Ben held you to it?”

Both him and his girl flushed, mortified. “Oh, no, he…”

“Rey didn’t get the letter she was after and I invited her again,” Ben hastily supplied.

“Ah, that’s when he finally asked you,” his mother attempted to guess.

“No, I found out that I didn’t get my scholarship and I had to quit and…” Rey winced a little. “I ended up ugly crying in the middle of his kitchen.”

Ben rubbed her back soothingly. He remembered how distraught she had been back then and his protective instincts demanded he pull her into his lap, hold her, and never let her go. He wasn’t sure his parents would appreciate the show, however.

“I’m sorry, dear,” Leia offered sympathetically.

“There was nothing ugly about you,” Ben promised quietly.

Rey softly kissed his chin in gratitude.

“You’re too sweet.” She smiled at his parents. “Ben was so kind, so protective, he almost went after Plutt himself.”

“Who’s Plutt?” Han frowned.

“My ex-boss. He was…”

“A fucking harasser,” Ben muttered darkly, still not over how that asshole had gotten away unscathed.

“He was what?!” Both Leia and Han looked equally furious.

“It’s OK,” the girl tried to placate them, “I defended myself, so no problem there.”

“Rey, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” Leia told her sternly. “This is a legal matter…”

“And I have a lawyer here,” she shot back, leaning into Ben’s side. “Besides, I sort of exceeded my allotted self-defence.”

“How so?”

Rey squirmed. “Um, let’s say Plutt probably won’t have kids. Ever.”

The guests gaped at her. “That’s my tough girl!” Han praised her loudly, looking extremely proud.

“She is,” Ben agreed, looking equally proud of his girl. She was amazing, his Rey. One of a kind.

“And the next week Ben invited me again and offered to teach me how to cook,” she continued fondly, beaming at him.

Leia chuckled. “You do know how to woo a girl.”

“Hey, it worked,” Ben pursed his lips.

“Totally worked, no complaints,” Rey supported him, staring at him lovingly which prompted him to kiss her cheek.

His mother shook her head in amusement. “You two are adorable.”

“Thank you,” his girl smiled.

“You’ll have a cute story to tell your kids,” Leia continued nonchalantly, ignoring their flustered expressions while looking very pleased with herself.

In the end, the dinner went just fine. Rey’s cake was as well-received as the paella and Ben didn’t have to suffer anything more than some light teasing. He couldn’t even remember a family dinner that had gone so well since he had been five. Though, probably, a great deal of it was on his girlfriend’s presence. In any case, his worries had been unnecessary. His parents were happy with him.

“See,” Rey said in a teasing tone, “I was right. You had nothing to worry about.”

“You are always right,” Ben responded immediately, ducking down to kiss her forehead. His girlfriend giggled.

“Are you trying to get promoted from boyfriend material to future husband material?”

“And what if I am?” he asked lightly, even though his heart skipped a beat.

“Then you’re on the right track,” Rey murmured back, leaning into his embrace.


	28. Roast Chicken and Chips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has a surprise for his girlfriend. Rey is going to like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do we need more tooth-rotting fluff in our lives right now? Of course we do.
> 
> A shout-out to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

“What’s so funny, Sweetheart?” Ben wondered aloud, carefully flipping pancakes.

Rey grinned.

“Um, just silly cat photos.”

“Yeah?” He took a peek at her phone. “Looks like Millicent to me.”

“It _is_ Millicent,” his girlfriend supplied.

Ben blinked, confused. “I didn’t realize you chat with Hux.”

“Armitage?” Rey laughed incredulously. “No, this is Gwen. I don’t think he has it in him to make a meme out of his_ precious girl_.”

“Just to be clear, you mean the cat, not his girlfriend,” Ben clarified, eliciting more joyful laughter out of Rey.

“Obviously. He’s spoiled Millie rotten.”

“That he has. So, how did Gwen end up with your phone number?” he curiously prodded her.

“Well, apparently Armitage has a bit of _sweet tooth_,” Rey lowered her voice conspiratorially, “and when she found out I made the Christmas cookies, she pestered me for the recipes. That’s how.”

“And you demanded cat photos in exchange?” Ben asked with a chuckle, amused by the turn of events.

“Well, I may have held a recipe or two hostage…” she trailed off innocently.

“_Sweetheart_!”

“What?” Rey pouted. “I love cat photos. I love all cute animals.”

“But you don’t blackmail Poe to get BB’s photos,” Ben pointed out.

“Because he sends them unprompted,” his girlfriend retorted.

“How kind of him.”

“Kind?” Rey snorted. “He just loves harassing people. Poe’s lucky BB is the cutest.”

“He is indeed,” murmured Ben, his mind busy hastily forming a plan.

Ben had just put sliced potato chips into a pan of salted water when his precious girlfriend dropped into a seat with a huff.

“How was school?”

Rey sighed. “Exhausting. At least my shift at Maz’s wasn’t so bad.”

He hummed pensively. “I think you need to be fed.”

“Maz thinks so, too,” Rey informed him, already munching on a cookie. “She says I’m _too skinny_,” the girl mumbled, mimicking her boss’s disapproving expression.

Ben took a close look at his girlfriend. Rey was gorgeous, as always, and healthy, too.

“You look fine to me,” he replied, satisfied with his inspection. “Did she say I didn’t take good care of you?”

“No way,” Rey attempted to deny vehemently with a mouth full of cookie, “she just made me an extra sandwich.”

“You’re not hungry then?” Ben asked her distractedly, making sure not to burn himself while draining the parboiled potatoes. He shook them around a bit to make sure the edges were nice for baking.

The reply was immediate. “I’m always hungry.”

“Good,” he nodded with satisfaction, rubbing olive oil, salt, and pepper into the chicken. “Just sit back and relax.”

And that was exactly what she did.

“I’m _so_ ready for the weekend,” Rey sighed dreamily.

“So am I,” Ben agreed, rubbing the bird with a lemon half, then putting it into the cavity. “I think you’re overdue for some proper cuddling.”

That elicited a snort out of his precious girl. “You think that every day,” Rey laughed fondly, clearly very pleased with the situation.

He placed the chicken in the oven, breast-side down on the grill to ensure that the meat would remain moist, with the tray for the juices right beneath. Washing his hands, he turned back to her. “True,” he nodded sagely. “But you deserve it.”

“I’m going to be _so _spoiled and it will be all your fault,” Rey accused him with amusement written all over her face.

“Never,” Ben reassured her, kissing the tip of her nose fondly. Of course his girl tugged him down for a more thorough kiss immediately, and they remained busy for quite a while, not that anyone complained.

Eventually, when her natural curiosity got the better of her, Rey let him go, focusing on their future dinner instead.

“What yummy thing are you making this time?” she wondered, ready to sniff the air like a bloodhound. A very adorable bloodhound, that is.

“Roast chicken with chips,” Ben supplied to her delight.

“Sounds good,” his girl sighed dreamily, earning a chuckle.

“You say that every time,” he teased her.

“It’s always true,” Rey retorted passionately. “Every time.”

“Right.” As the chicken reached the halfway point of its cooking, Ben turned it over to make sure the rest of the skin crisped up. “So, tell me, has Rose gone full bridezilla yet?” he wondered.

Rey shook her head. “No, not gonna happen. If anyone can keep their cool, it’s Rose Tico.”

“That’s impressive,” he nodded pensively. Then again, the girl had always seemed like a reasonable person.

“That’s Rose for you,” Rey beamed like a proud parent. “Besides, neither she nor Finn want a big wedding, only close friends and family,” she continued.

To Ben it made a perfect sense. Why anyone would want a few hundred guests on their special day was beyond him. He certainly didn’t take after his mother in that instance. Another stray thought made him frown.

“Where does this leave Poe?” Surely, even someone as self-confident as Dameron would feel left out when his boyfriend _and_ girlfriend decided to get married to each other.

Rey snorted, clearly unconcerned. “He’s the Best Man, the official drama queen, and their boyfriend. Don’t worry about him, he’ll get his dose of attention anyway,” she supplied nonchalantly.

“Sounds like him,” Ben chuckled, adding the potato chips, thyme, garlic, and seasonings to the tray with the chicken juices. Leave it to Poe to get his chunk of attention even at someone else’s wedding.

“He seriously hasn’t changed much?” his girlfriend asked curiously.

“Not a bit,” Ben confirmed, remembering baby Poe and middle-schooler Poe. “We’ve known each other since forever. Our moms were even pregnant around the same time,” he added, remembering Leia’s reasoning behind their forced friendship. She and Shara had been so sure the kids would take after them and get along. The mere memory made him cringe.

Rey laughed, showing off her adorable dimples. “Wow, Poe was your fetus frenemy.”

Ben rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Sweetheart, that’s not a thing.”

“Is, too,” she argued, amused and giggling. “I bet he was even trouble back then.”

“Oh, he was and still is,” the man scoffed. “Just to be clear, though, _Poe_ never got in trouble, I did.” The number of times where quiet kid Ben had gotten caught because of something little gremlin Poe had talked him into was astounding. And unfortunately Ben didn’t inherit his father’s unique ability to talk himself out of anything.

Rey immediately picked up on the meaning behind the words. “Never got caught you mean?”

“Exactly.”

“And you were so sweet and prim and proper,” his girlfriend teased him playfully.

“And with ears to rival Dumbo,” Ben joked, easing the chicken out of the oven. He left the chips to crisp up for another five minutes.

“Silly you,” Rey huffed. “I’m sure you were the cutest kid.”

“Next time ask mom for childhood photos,” Ben snorted, “believe me, she’ll fall all over herself to share.” After all, he’d made Leia wait for a decade to ambush a potential partner with old albums, she’d surely had enough time to prepare properly.

“I think I will,” his sweet girl grinned, pleased with the idea.

Rey and his mother were absolutely going to get along like a house on fire.

Ben barely had time to get the chips out of the oven when they heard the doorbell ring.

“The door,” his girlfriend frowned, puzzled. “Do we expect anyone?”

“Don’t know,” he supplied, too busy keeping his face straight.

Rey blinked at him confusedly, heading to the door.

“Poe?” she greeted the newcomer.

“Hi, Rey.” The man had a shit-eating grin on his face and was holding something inside his jacket. Something small, and moving.

“Hey,” she inched closer, her curiosity piqued, “what do you have in there?”

Ben held his breath as he crept up behind Rey. Carefully, Poe unzipped his jacked to reveal a tiny sleeping Jack Russell terrier puppy.

“Rey, meet BB9E.”

She gasped. The pup opened its eyes and yawned, melting everyone’s heart on the spot. Rey immediately cooed over the tiny dog. “He’s so precious! Is he yours?”

Poe grinned. “No and no. He’s a she and she’s yours,” he explained, carefully passing the puppy into her hands.

She cradled the dog incredulously. “Mine?”

“Yes, Sweetheart,” Ben promised her.

Rey looked at him with big wet eyes. “Seriously?”

He smiled reassuringly. “I know you’ve always wanted a pet and you get on so well with BB, so I asked Poe to check and turned out BB’s parents had another litter and…” Ben stumbled back a step as his girl launched into him, mindful of the puppy, all teary-eyed and beaming.

“I love you so, so much!” Rey mumbled into his sweater. “And I love her.”

“Hey, what about me?” Poe immediately butted in, giving a pout that could put to shame any five-year old. Ben fondly rolled his eyes as his girlfriend shook her head in amusement.

“You, too, you big overgrown puppy.”

Their friend looked appalled. “I beg to differ, I’m _not_ overgrown!” He shook his head at the chuckling couple. “I better be going. Call me if you need anything.”

Ben nodded. “Thank you for helping. And say hi to Finn and Rose.” The other man nodded before waving his goodbye.

As soon as the door was closed, Rey was all over him, showering Ben with kisses while trying not to startle the little pet.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love her!”

He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “What will you call her?” he asked quietly.

“BB9E?” she confirmed. “Niney, her name is Niney.” The puppy wiggled a little in her hands and Rey immediately focused all her attention on the tiny dog. “Hello, sweetie. Who’s a good doggy? You are! Yes, you are!” Niney yipped back, making her new owner laugh.

Ben smiled at his excited girlfriend. “Already bonding, Sweetheart? Let me show you her things.”

As Rey rummaged through all the puppy stuff, loudly wondering how Ben managed to sneak all of this home without her noticing, he made quick work of the salad. Halving the boiled lemon, he scooped the insides into a bowl and added half of the zest. After, Ben chopped basil and parsley, added it to the bowl, and mixed it with four tablespoons of Greek yoghurt. A bit of seasoning and olive oil helped to loosen the dressing. Then he sliced the fennel, shredded the cabbage, peeled the carrots into ribbons, and tossed the vegetables with the dressing. The dinner was ready.

Rey barely paid attention to her food, too busy cooing over how cute and sweet and precious Niney was. Ben couldn’t disagree. The dog was indeed sweet, with white and dark brown colouring and wide eyes. Fast, too. She took to trailing after her new mistress immediately, curiously sniffing every surface she got to explore. The apartment became quite a bit noisier. He genuinely enjoyed it.

“Seriously, Ben, Niney needs a custom-made tag,” his girlfriend insisted, “I just found the perfect one on Etsy. And why can’t she sleep in our bed?”

“Because she has a perfectly fine dog bed,” he supplied, shaking his head in amusement. “Yes to the tag, though.”

Rey kissed his chin lightly. “Why are you so stubborn?”

“Because you like it. And I’d rather keep our bed to ourselves,” Ben smirked. “Speaking of which, we should go to sleep since tomorrow we’re in for an early morning walk.”

His girl beamed. “Totally worth it.”

“I’ll see if you still say that in the morning,” he teased.

Rey immediately smacked his forearm. “Hey, take that back. I’m an early riser!”

“Sure you are.”

“You’re going to get in trouble with that attitude, Solo,” she warned him, which only provoked another smirk out of him.

“Bring it in, Sweetheart.”

With a shriek Rey tackled him, trying to tickle him, making Ben laugh heartily. Niney yapped, happy to join the fun her silly humans had. Their evening was decidedly not quiet, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything, because to him, it was perfect. 


	29. Sausage Pasta Bake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey wants everyone to be friends. Ben is slightly reserved about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe it how close this fic is to the end? I can't!
> 
> As always, a shout-out to my amazing beta fulcrum_of_pemberley!

Ben paused over the garlic he was slicing. “Sweetheart, are you sure this won’t blow up in our faces?”

Rey rolled her eyes, not slowing down grating the cheddar. “Of course not, we’re all adults here.”

“Yeah, but…”

His girlfriend sighed. “What could possibly go wrong? You spend so much time with Gwen and Hux and Dopheld that they are practically family members. I like to spend time with my friends, too; it’s perfectly normal for them to meet each other, no?”

Ben put bread into the food processor and pressed the button. “Yeah, but since when are they my friends?” Ben mumbled distractedly. Sure, his relationship with his colleagues had improved immensely ever since they had quit Snoke, but….

Rey stared evenly at him. “Are they not?” That effectively shut him up.

“I guess,” he sighed, mixing breadcrumbs with garlic, oregano, cheese, salt and black pepper. As he drizzled the mix with oil and tossed it, Ben reflected on the nature of his relationship with Phasma, Hux, and Mitaka. Well, if put like that, Gwen and Dopheld could be considered his close acquaintances (Hux was still more a benign frenemy). They spent plenty of time together at work and then some, they met occasionally for a drink, they chatted plenty about non-work-related topics and… Huh, it seemed he had acquired friends somehow. Who would have thought?

“Exactly,” his girlfriend supplied authoritatively. “Right, my sweet?” she cooed lovingly to her pet.

Niney yapped in response from under the table where she sat, content to observe her humans. The little thing trailed after them everywhere, not that they minded.

“Why does she respond to you and not to me?” Ben wondered, glancing at the dog.

Rey smirked.

“Mmm, don’t know. Maybe because I asked nicely. Maybe because I’m working with sausage.” Indeed, she got the sausages out of their skins and broke them into pieces which she rolled into balls.

“Are you seducing our dog to the Dark Side?” he teased her, taking the dish with the meat balls and drizzling them with oil.

“And here I thought you’re the evil space wizard,” his girl giggled, kissing the underside of his jaw. Ben shook his head fondly. Leave it to Rey to remember those silly nicknames.

With the sausage in the oven he added a little oil to a pan and put it on medium heat.

“And yet, how can you be sure it will go fine?” Ben started again. “We’re going to have six very different people over. What if…”

“What if what?” Rey demanded as he dropped the remaining garlic, oregano, and chili flakes into the pan . “Rose and Gwen will definitely get along like a house on fire. Doph is a sweetheart. Finn is always nice. Hux and Poe will be supervised.”

“Yeah, about that,” Ben snorted.

His precious girl, distracted with removing the cooked sausage from the oven, frowned.

“What?”

“You think _Armitage_ will handle it nicely if someone flirts with his girlfriend?”

Rey handed him the tinned tomatoes with a smug expression. “Who said Poe will flirt with Gwen and not with _Hux_? He might have a soft spot for pasty gingers for all you know.”

Ben did _not _expect that. He almost salted the sauce twice from the sheer surprise. “Sweetheart, don’t say that.”

“Mmm, I don’t know, I think _Armie_ might use something to spice up his life a bit,” she murmured with a cheeky smile.

“A heart attack is _not_ a nice way to spice your life up,” Ben countered, imagining someone as prim and proper as Hux being on the receiving end of Poe’s obnoxious flirting, and in front of his girlfriend, no less. No, that would be too embarrassing for him to bear. Gwen would laugh her ass off, too.

“Why are you always so serious?” Rey sighed. “Niney, why is your daddy so serious?”

The puppy turned her head and looked at her curiously.

“Yes, I don’t know either, sweetie,” she murmured, starting to cook the pasta in the meantime.

Ben could only shake his head at his beloved girl’s antics.

With the slightly undercooked pasta drained and in a baking dish, he added in the sausage meatballs, poured over the sauce, and tossed the mix properly. Rey sprinkled the cheese and crumbs mix on top and in the oven it went. When it turned golden and bubbling, Ben took it out to cool. The main part was done.

Surprisingly, the whole thing didn’t go as badly as he had imagined it would. Poe, Finn, and Rose were the first to arrive, bringing wine with them. BB, who accompanied his master, was very curious to meet his new friend, the whole event diligently filmed by both Rey and Poe. Soon the dogs were happily playing and their humans happily chatting.

Mitaka showed up next, with a bouquet he shyly offered to Rey under Ben’s watchful gaze. Dopheld seemed to be a little overwhelmed at first, but soon he relaxed enough to participate in the discussion as well. Hux and Phasma came last, though still perfectly on time. Poe took one look at the couple and immediately blinded them with a winning smile.

“Hello, I’m Poe.”

Hux looked unimpressed. Finn and Ben groaned simultaneously. Rey smirked and mouthed “I told you so.” Rose sighed deeply.

“We apologize for his behavior in advance.”

“You must be Rose,” Gwen guessed with an amused smile. “And Finn. Nice to meet you.”

“Hey, I’m a man here, not a piece of furniture,” Poe protested, unused to such outrageous neglect.

The Amazonian blonde patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Relax, pretty boy, we’re not interested.”

“They all say that,” Poe grumbled under his breath.

Rey gave Ben a wink. “See? They’re already getting on.” He couldn’t disagree.

Soon all of them were gathered around the table, giving proper appreciation to the hosts’ cooking skills.

“So,” Finn started, “you all worked with Ben and now you work with Ben again.”

“Sounds about right,” Gwen responded with a smile.

“Must be nice to have a familiar face around.”

“You haven’t seen him on a Monday morning,” Hux interjected smugly, earning an eyeroll from his girlfriend.

“Hey!” Ben protested, offended. He was a perfectly functional adult… after he had his caffeine fix.

“Easy, boys. Don’t act like five year-olds,” Gwen chastised them both, already used to their bickering.

“It wasn’t me,” her boyfriend protested, making everyone smirk.

“Case and point,” Dopheld mumbled under his breath.

“So you three are together?” Gwen eyed Rose, Finn, and Poe curiously, diverting the conversation.

They nodded. “Mhmm.”

“And you two are engaged?” she glanced between Finn and Rose.

“Yep,” the man confirmed, wrapping his arm around his fiancée.

Gwen hummed. “Interesting.”

“When is the wedding?” Mitaka asked next.

The lovebirds beamed at each other. “This August,” Rose smiled happily.

“Yeah, about that,” Finn interjected, turning to the host. “Ben, we wanted to ask you something.”

“Me?” he was genuinely surprised. What did _he_ have to do with the wedding?

Hux grinned. “He’ll make an _amazing _flower girl.”

Gwen elbowed him lightly. “Shut up, love.”

“Just for the record,” Rose looked at Ben meaningfully, “we have already asked Rey and she said yes.”

“OK?” he responded, befuddled. What on Earth was going on?

Rose and Finn shared a look. “So, we really liked the cake for our engagement party.”

“And the wedding will be really small, just close friends and relatives.”

“So we wanted to ask you...”

“If you guys would like to make the wedding cake.” They both looked at him with identical hopeful expressions.

Ben blinked at them, flabbergasted.

“I mean, we know it’s Rey who actually bakes,” Rose added for his benefit.

“But you two are a package deal so it would be better to ask you, too,” Finn continued.

“What do you say?”

“Oh.” Ben looked between the two of them, slightly overwhelmed. “That’s really flattering. Are you sure?” he asked carefully.

Both nodded. “Yes.”

“We wouldn’t ask otherwise.”

“But the cake is such an important part of your wedding day. You’ll trust _me_ with it?” Ben tried again.

Finn sighed. “I’m not sure how to put this to you, but we trust you with _Rey_. A cake is just a cake.”

“Right,” Ben nodded. A pastry was nothing compared to his precious girlfriend. “I mean I’m happy to oblige.”

Rose beamed at him. “See? No big deal. It’s just a big fancy confectionery.”

“And I’m in charge anyway,” Rey quipped happily, bestowing upon her boyfriend a kiss.

“Of course you are, Sweetheart,” Ben murmured fondly, nuzzling her temple.

“Are they always this cute?” Gwen asked quietly.

Finn nodded. “Yep.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Rose.

“So sweet it’s disgusting,” butted in Poe. “Ow!” he yelped as Finn kicked his foot under the table. “I mean: life goal.”

“Right,” the other man nodded, satisfied.

“What about you two?” Rose asked Gwen. “How long have you been together?”

“Three years,” she and Hux responded simultaneously.

Poe wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “A hot office romance?”

Gwen snorted. “Something like that.”

“Yes, as much as you could romance in a strict no-relationship environment,” the ginger supplied.

Ben glanced between them. “You were good at it. I had no idea.”

“Obviously,” Hux snorted, rolling his eyes.

Gwen swatted his hand lightly. “Ben, you’re _so_ oblivious sometimes,” she said with a sigh.

Before he could protest, his own girlfriend chimed in. “He is.”

“You, too, sweetheart?” Ben asked incredulously.

“Still love you.” Rey beamed at him and leaned in to give him a consolation kiss.

Poe wolf-whistled and they promptly broke apart, flushing a bit from the attention.

“Must have been hard to work like that,” Rose interjected quickly.

Gwen shared a look, full of adoration, with her boyfriend.

“It was worth it,” Hux responded, his lips curled in a barely there smile.

“And now you have no asshole boss to deal with,” Finn smirked.

Hux shared another look with Gwen. “Yeah, about that.”

Ben blinked. “What?”

“You won’t believe it,” the blonde supplied.

Hux grinned. “Snoke is out of the picture for the foreseeable future.”

“How?”

“That’s the most interesting part – _someone_ spilled his dirt.”

Ben looked between his colleagues helplessly, not understanding what they were talking about.

“You have no idea,” Dopheld guessed.

“I don’t.”

Gwen smirked, too, and leaned in conspiratorially. “It was Netal.”

Whatever Ben was expecting, he hadn’t expected that. Bazine Netal had always been content playing second fiddle and schmoozing clients instead of dealing with the actual work. To do something as bold as this was out of character for her. “Seriously?” he asked incredulously.

“Our little Bazine found herself a boyfriend in the District Attorney office,” Gwen divulged. “When he overheard some _things _he made her spill the beans.”

“And she sang like a bird,” Hux added smugly. “Apparently Snoke had to resort to bribery after we left. They caught him red-handed.”

Ben gaped. “How did I miss it?”

His colleagues shrugged.

“Snoke’s friends tried to keep it under wraps,” Dopheld supplied.

“You mean, _former_ friends,” Gwen snorted. “No one would touch him with a ten-foot pole now.”

Hux grinned. “We’re free.”

Just like that, the dark shadow that had loomed over them for years disappeared completely. Ben couldn’t believe their luck.

“We are.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I brought wine?” Poe quipped.

Overall, the _six very different people_ got along very well. In the end they exchanged numbers and proceeded to plan to get drinks together. Just like Rey had predicted, Rose and Gwen seemed to begin a beautiful friendship. Poe was less lucky since no one appreciated his flirting attempts, though Phasma most definitely found him amusing. Both Dopheld and Hux were more reserved, but they still seemed to enjoy the evening. Ben was amazed by the outcome.

“See, baby, no need to overthink everything,” Rey commented, drying the plate he has just washed. “Not everything turns into the worst-case scenario.”

He shook his head fondly. “Sweetheart, my life _was _a worse-case scenario until I met you.”

“Looks like I’m your lucky charm,” she mused, her wide smile showing off her dimples.

“You most definitely are,” Ben responded, turning the water off and tugging her in a grateful, deep, _thorough_ kiss.


	30. Butterflied Leg of Lamb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey asked to skip gifts for her birthday, but Ben has something absolutely perfect in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thirty chapter later here we are! I can't believe I'm finally finishing this story. This fic has taught me a lot in terms of writing because for the first time I asked myself what I would like to READ instead of WRITE and somehow it worked. Apparently, so many of you wanted to read the same fluffy thing it still blows my mind.   
Thank you so much for every comment and kudos, I swear I treasure each and every one of them!  
And of course many thanks for my amazing beta fulcrum_of_pemberley who kindly and graciously supported me through every chapter!

Ben had secretly been preparing for this day for a while. It took a fair share of finesse – Rey insisted she didn’t want anything special for her birthday, anything at all.

“It’s just a random day someone picked for me, it’s not even my real birthday,” she insisted stubbornly. “I mean, it might be, chance is 1/365. It just doesn’t mean anything. Let’s skip.”

He didn’t want to skip. Ben wanted to pamper her and feed her and make her happy and make this day stop being a reminder that she was alone, because she wasn’t anymore. _He _was there.

Ben talked with her friends, did some mental arithmetic, and finally settled on something. The answer was simple. Food. Food was the key. The rest fell into place easily. He took a day off work, going to the marked instead to get the best, freshest ingredients. Rey, he made sure of it, was none the wiser. Amilyn and his colleagues, on the other hand, might have been onto something, but that was a problem for later. For now, there were more important things to be preoccupied with. Like whether or not to buy a cake.

Eventually Ben decided that his superpower was cooking, not baking, and got the most decadent triple chocolate cake he could find. Now an appropriately delicious main dish was needed to accompany it. He settled on a wonderful tender fresh lamb. Rey deserved only the best.

Getting to the actual cooking was like a breath of fresh air. With Padme’s cookbook ready to provide guidance, Ben carefully cut down the lamb leg, exposing the bone. He worked closely around it until the bone was completely removed. As the lamb laid skin-side down on the cutting board, Ben removed the sinews as well and make incisions into the thicker part of the meat, then opened it up like a book, so that the piece was more or less even to work on.

After, he poured hot water into a bowl and put in dried chilies to soak. Putting the bowl aside, he picked a small frying pan, put it over medium heat, and added black and pink peppercorns, fennel, and coriander seeds for thirty seconds to dry-toast. He hummed with satisfaction as the spices started to pop and smell delicious. Rey was going to love it, that’s for sure. Then Ben got the softened chilies out of the water and put them with the toasted spices and a splash of water into a food processor and turned them into a fine paste. The noise awoke Niney who was asleep under the table. The puppy yawned adorably and went to sniff around, earning coos and ear scratches from her master. Ben secretly was a huge dog daddy, something Rey would never let him forget.

Using a large bowl, he put the paste in and mixed it with paprika, oil, vinegar, and lemon zest. A pinch of sea salt also went in, then he proceeded to add in oregano leaves and garlic he had peeled and crushed beforehand. He finely sliced the fresh chilies and stirred the mass until everything mixed up nicely. With the marinade ready, Ben only needed to add the prepared lamb to the bowl and rub the mixture all over the meat to ensure it was tender and delicious. He covered the meat and put it into the fridge until later. With it marinating it gave him just enough time to clean the apartment and arrange a beautifully set table topped with a flower bouquet.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” he asked Niney. The dog yipped. “I hope so. I certainly hope so.”

Several hours later Ben removed the lamb from the fridge and left it for half an hour to come up to room temperature. When the meat was ready to be cooked, he turned on the kitchen grill and cooked it, turning every ten minutes. Then he transferred the beautiful medium-rare lamb to a board and left it to rest for a bit, focusing on the salad in the meantime.

Ben combined chicory leaves with watercress and pomegranate seeds in a large serving bowl. In another, smaller, bowl he stirred harissa through Greek yoghurt and seasoned it to his liking. He carefully sliced the lamb on the board, then halved the lemon he used for zest. Ben frowned, contemplating how to arrange everything better. He finally settled on the lamb on the board with the lemon halves, and the salad and yoghurt dressing on the side, creating an Instagram-worthy display. Anything to make his girl happy.

Rey’s key turned in the lock right on schedule. She dropped her bag on the console table, took off her shoes, petted a happily yapping Niney and padded toward the living room, completely unaware of what was waiting for her.

“Ben?” she gasped, taking in him standing with a bouquet of daises, her favorite, and a beautifully set table ready for her.

“Happy birthday, Sweetheart,” he smiled, already closing the distance and giving her a sound kiss. Rey beamed at him, happy, a little overwhelmed and wet-eyed.

“You didn’t have to, you know that…”

“I know,” Ben interjected resolutely, unable to take his eyes off his precious girl. “I wanted to.”

“You’re the best boyfriend in the whole galaxy,” she sniffed, hugging him tightly.

“Only for you,” he answered with a soft smile and kissed the top of her head. “Come on, let’s get you fed. You deserve a little pampering, Sweetheart.”

Of course Rey loved everything Ben made so he could offer he the tastiest morsels to his heart’s delight. The triple chocolate cake pleased her to no end, although she had trouble finishing the third slice.

“It was delicious,” his girl announced with a blissed out expression. “Thank you.”

Ben looked at her with adoration. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Rey smiled back.

“That’s why I want to give you something.”

“What?” she looked at him, alarmed. “Ben, you promised not to buy me gifts.”

“I know. I didn’t spend anything on it. I swear,” he reassured her, handing her a little square-shaped package covered in gold wrapping paper.

Rey curiously tugged at the bow and gasped as a familiar blue cover came into view. “Is that…?” She lost her words, clutching Padme’s cookbook. “Ben, you can’t!”

“Why not?” he shrugged calmly.

“It’s your family heirloom!” Rey protested, still reeling. “I know how important it is to you.”

“So are you,” Ben countered, trying to make her understand how much she meant to him. She was his everything.

His girl shook her head. “You can’t. It belongs to your family.”

“You’re my family,” he proclaimed, meaning every word. She had to know that. He’d show her. “You’re a part of it, Rey.”

“Are you…” she gasped as Ben got down on one knee and caught hold of her hands, looking at her like she hung the moon.

“Sweetheart, before you I was lost. I was miserable and didn’t even realize it. When I first met you it was like someone turned on the light.” He gently caressed her knuckles as she started crying, though her eyes shone. “You blinded me and I couldn’t stop staring. You’re my sun and my guiding star. You made my life better, you made _me_ better and I can’t imagine being without you. Will you do me a great honor and become my wife?”

For a long, torturous moment Rey didn’t say anything, just looking at him with wide hazel eyes. Then she started nodding vigorously, laughing and crying at the same time.

“Yes, yes, I will, I do, anything,” his girl sniffed, peppering his face with kisses, her tears long forgotten.

“Thank God,” Ben breathed out in relief and slid an antique ring on her finger. He was so happy he thought he would burst.

“Of course I’ll marry you, you idiot. How could you doubt that?” his fiancée chastised him lightly before kissing him again. “I love you.”

“I love you to the moon and back,” he responded, drunk with elation. Rey, his Rey, agreed to be his wife!

“I know,” she giggled, showing off her adorable dimples. “You’re not exactly subtle.”

“I wasn’t aiming to be,” Ben shot back. “You deserve the best.”

At that Rey kissed him again and for a while they forgot about talking at all.

“This ring must have cost a fortune,” she mused lately, perched on his lap with her free hand caressing the baby hairs at the nape of his neck and admiring her new piece of jewelry.

“It belonged to my grandmother,” he explained with a kiss to her knuckles.

Rey sighed happily, leaning into him, then promptly jerked back.

“Wait, does that mean that Leia knows?” she demanded.

Ben chuckled. “Of course.” His mother was worse than any CIA agent, obviously she knew, even before the ring. Women always found out the truth, or so his dad said.

Rey looked at him suspiciously. “Who else?”

“Um,” he frowned, trying to think clearly when the most beautiful woman in the universe was sitting so distractingly in his lap, “I asked Finn for your hand. Rose, too. Poe was very vocal about how we should make the cutest babies.”

“Oh my God!” she covered her face in half-amusement, half-mortification.

“I think mom told Amilyn,” he mused, remembering his boss’ mischievous wink. “Gwen might have figured it out…”

“Ben!” his fiancée smacked his arm lightly. “Why did e_veryone _know before I did?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he mumbled guiltily.

Rey laughed at his expression. “It’s OK, we’ll make an announcement tomorrow anyway.”

“Tomorrow?” Ben frowned.

His future wife leaned conspiratorially in. “Tonight is for us,” she promised lowly before kissing him in a way that left no doubts to how she wanted to celebrate. And what Rey wanted, she got.

As he scooped her up in a bridal carry (how fitting!), all shrieking and giggling, a perfect armful, and ready to close the door of their bedroom, Ben’s glance landed on Padme’s cookbook and he was instantly filled with endless gratefulness that it had shared the most important recipe – the recipe for a family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!  
But! How can I resist more fluffy goodness? That's why stay tuned for an epilogue for this story. And this time it'll be Rey's turn to share her POV.


	31. Stephen Fry’s Apple Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's idea of HEA includes Ben, their family, their new home and of course cooking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue, as promised! 
> 
> Thank you so much for supporting this little story! I hope your teeth didn't suffer too much from all the fluff ;)
> 
> Many thanks to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my amazing beta.

Rey hummed happily as her fingers worked butter into the mix of flour and sugar to create crumbs. During the last three years, baking had become her favorite hobby, that is if you didn’t count teasing her beloved husband. Ben, bless him, could keep a straight face to rival a marble statue, but his traitorous cheeks and ears flushed in a most appealing, absolutely yummy manner. Obviously, she was only human and couldn’t stand the temptation. Besides, he had yet to complain, no?

Getting two vanilla pods, Rey cut them and scraped the seeds into the bowl. Ah, what a nice smell. Quality organic products produced the best results, or so Ben said when spoiling her senseless with his mouthwatering cooking skills. Next thing on her list was to beat eggs with milk and mix them with the flour crumbles. She expertly formed the ball of dough, divided it in half, sprinkled with flour and flattened each piece, then proceeded to wrap each one in a film and put them into her new fridge for a while.

Rey loved her new appliances. Well, scratch that, she adored _everything_ about her new kitchen. When Leia had first offered to give her and Ben his grandparents’ old house, they were a bit reluctant. It was too generous, too much. But then they had given it proper thought. Ben’s old apartment wasn’t as conveniently situated in terms of commute ever since Rey graduated and Amilyn had moved their offices. Leia’s offer came at a good time and the house ended up being their wedding gift. Over this threshold her dearest husband had carried her, here they started their new life and, according to her in-laws, it was the perfect place to start a family. Leia had even gone as far as hinting which was the best room for a nursery. Well, all in due time.

Rey could definitely agree with one thing: the house was gorgeous in the way old, well-loved houses were. The color scheme was more appealing than the grays of Ben’s old apartment: warm beiges, browns, and greens and natural wood. The kitchen was equally exquisite with lots of light, space, and a huge kitchen island. The appliances were all state-of-art, though. It was something they both agreed on, considering how much they loved to cook.

When the time came, Rey got one pastry ball out of the fridge and rolled it between two sheets of greaseproof paper. She loosely rolled up the pastry around a flour-dusted rolling pin and unrolled it over the oiled tart tin, pushing it carefully into the sides to form pretty ridges. Satisfied with the results, she then trimmed the excess, pricked the base with a fork, covered it with film and set it back in the fridge again. It was time to focus on the filling.

Apple filling was one of her favorite things in the world, at least at this very moment. Rey’s tastes lacked any consistency (again, as long as it didn’t come to Ben. She adored her husband in all shapes and forms, even after his morning run during an extremely hot summer), but there was something about the delicious, slightly spiced texture that makes her give in to her sweet tooth.

Rey peeled and chopped beautiful fresh apples, and put them into a large saucepan where she added the butter, sugar, allspice, and water. She let the apples simmer on a medium heat until they softened, then very carefully tipped them into a colander, making sure to catch all the juices in a bowl. The apple juices were then returned to the pan and simmered until reduced by half and syrupy. Once cooled, Rey poured them over the apples and folded through some blackberries. And then, checking if Ben was hovering nearby, she proceeded to lick her fingers like a five-year old. Luckily, no one was there to tell on her, lest her dearest, proper, most responsible husband would have a fit. Finger licking and food sampling was a big part of the kitchen fun, thank you very much!

Now that the filling was ready, it was time for the pastry. Rey got the tart tin out of the fridge and covered it with a greaseproof paper, pushing it right into the dough. She filled the indentation with baking beans to make sure the pastry would lie flat and even and put it into the oven for fifteen minutes. After that, the paper and beans were removed and the pastry returned to the oven for five more minutes.

Then Rey beat an egg with a splash of boiling water and brushed the inside of the pastry base before baking it until prettily golden and crisp. With the base out of the way, she returned back to the remaining pastry to make the top crust. Good thing she had taken off her wedding ring, Rey thought to herself, partly because she hated trying to wash the pastry out of it and partly because her fingers were too swollen in this hot weather lately to wear it. She divided the remaining pastry in four. One piece was rolled into a circle to make the top crust. Another two she rolled as well and cut them into strips with a pizza cutter to make a pretty crisscross pattern on the top. It was a bit tricky and slow work, but eventually it turned out just fine. Well, experience was on her side after all. The last part of the dough Rey was planning to turn into little rosettes for extra pizazz. Her skills in the kitchen had really grown in the last three years; besides, her collection of conveniently shaped cookie cutters didn’t hurt either. When the crust was fancy enough for her liking, she put it into the freezer to make sure it would keep its shape and filled the pie tin with the apples in the meantime. Then Rey got the cooled dough out of the fridge, carefully peeled off the baking paper, and slide the top crust onto the pie, making sure to trim the excesses and create neat edges. She brushed the pie with egg to glaze it nicely, sprinkled it with brown sugar, and returned it to the oven. There was one last thing to do.

Padme’s cookbook, Rey’s most prized possession, had a few empty pages left. Years ago Leia had added a couple of her favorite recipes. Luke added one. Ben two. The two of them had added three more together and there was only one page left. He insisted it was hers. Her dearest husband thought it fitting to let the book, started by one amazing woman, to be finished by another. Well, technically not finished, they had already acquired a pretty purple notebook to keep their own ever-growing list of recipes, a volume two, so to say. Still, the last page was there, waiting, and finally Rey had the just right recipe to put in there. Fittingly, it was going to happen on a big day, too.

During the last three years, Ben and Rey had gotten into the habit of hosting big Sunday dinners for their extended family and friends. Now that they had a new spacious house with a gorgeous garden, it was even more convenient. Since it was finally so warm out, her sweet husband decided to host it outside, for which he brought out a table, chairs, and was even attempting to assemble a swing, to her endless amusement. For all his talents, Ben was _not_ good at following technical manuals and yet he was too stubborn to let her touch anything heavier than a teaspoon these days, the precious dummy. She sincerely hoped he didn’t hurt himself in the process while she was distracted with the pie. If anything, the table should have already been set. Most of the food had already been prepared, they only needed to turn on the roast when the first guest arrived. And there would be a lot of them.

Of course Han and Leia would be the first. Then Finn, Rose, and Poe would show up with BB in tow. Niney would chase her friend all over the garden by the time Gwen, Armitage, and Dopheld and his spouse came. Amilyn promised to swing by, too. And then there was Luke. Rey knew how hard it was for Ben to patch things up with his uncle. It helped that Luke was no longer that fabled intimidating lawyer, no, now he was more of a hippy hermit, too invested in his organic farm to be bothered with the real world. It wasn’t the first time they had invited him, but it seemed that the old man had lost all sense of time in his exile, so he constantly mixed up days, time, train schedules.… Who knew, maybe this time he would finally make it. After all, they had some news to share.

Finally, Rey dotted all i’s and crossed all t’s, put the finished cookbook aside, and attempted to get the new pretty plate for the pie. Unfortunately, it was a touch too high, so she had to stand on her tippy toes, desperately trying to reach it. Ugh, some husbands were just way too tall!

A firm arm wrapped around her middle and a familiar voice right behind her ear asked, “What do you think you’re doing, Sweetheart?”

Rey turned back to Ben with a cheeky smile. “Getting that plate?”

“Nope, you’re sitting like the good girl you are and letting me handle this,” he admonished her gently, leaning down to kiss her shoulder. “You’re carrying precious cargo.”

She rolled her eyes fondly. “I’m pregnant, not sick.”

“And I promised to take care of you,” her husband grinned, shooing her to the nearest chair. “This one?”

“Yes.”

“The pie smells amazing,” he complimented before glancing at the familiar blue book. “Did you…?”

Rey nodded, smiling shyly. “It would be fitting, announcement and all. Something ends, something begins.”

Her husband looked at her with soft adoration, a look that rarely left his face. “You haven’t changed your mind?” Ben asked. “We can reschedule if.…”

“No,” she shook her head. “I want it to be today. I want everyone to know how happy we are.” Her hands automatically went to caress her belly and her husband immediately dropped to his knees to join her.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he promised with a gentle kiss.

The doorbell rang. Rey shared a secret smile with Ben before accepting his hand and getting up. It was time to take the first step into their future.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who wonder if I'm using the real recipes. The answer is yes, I'm not that smart :) Each chapter is named after a recipe featured in it. You can find them here:
> 
> 1\. Pasta with Meat Sauce
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/130358/worlds-best-pasta-sauce/
> 
> 2\. Tomato and Basil Omelette
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/eggs-recipes/tomato-and-basil-omelette/
> 
> 3\. Comforting Sausage Bake
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/comforting-sausage-bake/
> 
> 4\. Roast Chicken for Two
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/roast-chicken-for-two/
> 
> 5\. Pizza
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222197/authentic-pizza-margherita/?internalSource=streams&referringId=250&referringContentType=Recipe%20Hub&clickId=st_trending_s
> 
> 6\. Delicious Zuppa Toscana
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/143069/super-delicious-zuppa-toscana/
> 
> 7\. Mushroom & Tunworth Cheese Pies
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/cheese-recipes/mushroom-tunworth-cheese-pies/
> 
> 8\. Roast Duck Leg, Cherry, Watercress& Feta Salad
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/duck-recipes/roast-duck-leg-cherry-watercress-amp-feta-salad/
> 
> 9\. Venison Dopiaza
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/game-recipes/venison-dopiaza/
> 
> 10\. Penne with Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Pumpkin Sauce
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/245023/penne-with-italian-sausage-mushrooms-and-pumpkin-sauce/
> 
> 11\. Epic Rib-Eye Steak
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/epic-rib-eye-steak/
> 
> 12\. Strawberry and Cream Sandwich Sponge Cake
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/strawberry-cream-sandwich-sponge/
> 
> 13\. One-tray Bake
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/one-tray-bake/
> 
> 14\. Roast Turkey and Gravy
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/219079/chef-johns-roast-turkey-and-gravy/
> 
> 15\. Leg of Lamb with Gravy
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/leg-of-lamb-with-amazing-gravy/
> 
> 16\. One-cup Pancakes with Blueberries
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/one-cup-pancakes-with-blueberries/
> 
> 17\. Chicken Marsala
> 
> http://homefamilyrecipes.com/chicken-marsala-2/
> 
> 18\. Salmon with Young Garlic and Tomato Sauce
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/salmon-with-young-garlic-amp-tomato-sauce/
> 
> 19\. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222000/spaghetti-aglio-e-olio/
> 
> 20\. SouthernItalian-Style Chicken
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/southern-italian-style-chicken/
> 
> 21\. One-pan Fabulous Fish
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/one-pan-fabulous-fish/
> 
> 22\. Dab and Asparagus Bake
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/dab-asparagus-bake/
> 
> 23\. Good and Easy Garlic Chicken
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23998/a-good-easy-garlic-chicken/
> 
> 24\. Lasagna
> 
> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23600/worlds-best-lasagna/
> 
> 25\. Gluten-free Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/gluten-free-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/
> 
> 26\. Spiced Sea Bass with Caramelized Fennel
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/spiced-sea-bass-with-caramelised-fennel/
> 
> 27\. Paella
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/seafood-recipes/paella/
> 
> 28\. Roast Chicken and Chips
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/super-roast-chicken-chips/
> 
> 29\. Sausage Pasta Bake
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/sausage-pasta-bake/
> 
> 30\. Butterflied Leg of Lamb
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/butterflied-leg-of-lamb-with-mexican-style-marinade/
> 
> 31\. Stephen Fry’s Apple Pie
> 
> https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/stephen-fry-s-apple-pie/


End file.
